


Bleed the Water Red

by loki_dokey



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Atlas CEO Rhys, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Lovers, Guardians - Freeform, M/M, Maliwan, Mutual Pining, Pining, Revenge, Rival CEOs, Rivals to Lovers, Sexual Tension, Temporary Character Death, Vault of the Traveler, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 15:39:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 110,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18413618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loki_dokey/pseuds/loki_dokey
Summary: The CEOs of Atlas and Hyperion have some real shit to work through, including but not limited to: pride, feelings, explosions, Vaults and their Guardians, all-out war, denial and actual death itself.They're certainly not equipped to get a handle on many of the aforementioned, but they're trying their absolute best.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's. been. a damn. hot. minute. since I wrote a Rhack fic. 
> 
> It's TWO AM and I'm buzzing on coffee and adrenaline for posting this chapter. I hope y'all like it. Let me know what you think the comments. 
> 
> xxxxxxxx
> 
> PS to help set the scene, Rhys is currently Rhys from the end of Tales in pretty much age and appearance (aside from clothing).

There was a strong scent of singed flesh in the Pandoran air when Rhys finally, slowly, lowered his gun back to his side, fingers still twitching against the smooth metal. He locked it into its holster before scanning the horizon for a sign of something; _anything._ In his chest, which rose and fell unsteadily, his heart pounded as though it were begging him for escape. A cold, cybernetic hand braced it, feeling the thrumming pulsations under his shirt, and he was enraged that his body was reacting this way. A steady hand but a quivering soul - what good was a leader who had conquered the world with his mind but hadn't conquered his own damn heart? It made him feel weak and powerless, but looking below him at the bodies of dead bandits reassured him that if no one could notice his stupid, trembling heart then no one could use it against him. Under the overpass, the numerous bodies Rhys had slain lay, leaking out more and more blood with each passing second. It was beginning to attract a few skag pups but, since they showed no real threat, Rhys’ hands finally slid from his chest and gun.

 

He took a deep breath.

 

Rhys hated these annual “meetings”. They were too much trouble for their own good and he could honestly kick himself for being so keen to go ahead with them in the first place.  It was especially irritating when, somehow, damn bandits discovered the location of said secret meeting. Seeing as Rhys had been the first of the CEOs to arrive at the bunker, he'd been the lucky one who had been greeted by the swarm of Pandoran scum at the entrance and had to deal with it all.

“Come alone.” What an absolutely idiotic request. God, Rhys hated that awful, awful, **awful** bunch of money-hungry, power-hungry morons (not that Rhys was really any less of those two evils, but he certainly wasn’t a moron). Nonetheless, everyone _did_ at least always stay true to their word and _not_ arrive with backup to slaughter the competition. At least Rhys could be grateful about that. And, in actuality, he was pretty darn pleased with himself that he'd wiped out about twelve or so bandits all by himself. No Atlas security bots at his side, no trained snipers lurking amongst the peaks of the neighbouring outcrops. Just him. A smug smile passed his lips as he surveyed the damage he'd caused, fingertips once again brushing the top-of-the-range hand cannon on his belt. One bruiser's head was, politely put, pretty bruised beyond all feasible recognition. Rhys huffed a chuckle. Bruised by the countless bullets lodged into its skull, bullets etched with a symbolic ‘A’ for his baby; his _Atlas_. It was a sure-fire way to know your enemy (if you were blessed enough to get one removed from your body and live to tell the tale). It was not in Atlas’ interest for that to ever be the case, however.

 

It was then that Rhys spied a sudden movement amongst the bloodied corpses. A psycho, with one leg now missing due to Rhys’ trusty gun, was clawing his way across the dirt towards an abandoned pistol. Rhys sighed, rolled his eyes, and landed a bullet directly into the left side of his head.

“Hot _damn_ , Atlas,” came a surprised, familiar voice from behind him. “Aren't your guns known for overheating after like, the second bullet? Careful, kitten. Don't want to go doing the world a favour and burning off that god-awful moustache.”

Rhys span on the spot, smirking. Jack, his old boss and current competition, stood a few metres away, hand on hip and swirling his own Hyperion-issue pistol around his finger. As Rhys faced him, Jack proceeded to pause, look over the top of his sunglasses and bark out a sound of what seemed like immense pleasure.

“ _Homygod_ , is it finally gone?!” he breathed, stalking up to Rhys and grasping him roughly by the face, inspecting every inch of his jaw and upper lip. It was the closest they’d been in a very, very long time and Rhys couldn’t help but lean into the touch just a fraction more than he should have done. Jack didn’t seem to notice the lean but more so the exasperated groan that escaped Rhys’ lips. The older CEO cackled, patting Rhys’ cheek quickly and sharply.

“Man, it's only taken you what? Two years? To at long last slice that furry abomination off your freakin’ ugly mug?” Jack stepped back, now admiring from a distance. He raised an eyebrow. Rhys fiddled with a loose thread on the end of his tie. “Oh cupcake, thank _fuck_ for that. These meetings always were _so_ awkward because I felt like I was sitting in a room with Pandora's weapons manufacturers and their goddamn mustachioed pimp.”

“You sure it was the moustache that made it awkward or just that bunch of assholes we have to put up with?”

A beat of silence passed before Jack offered a nod of agreement and a small, soft chuckle.

“I've missed you, Rhysie.” A hand on his shoulder. A squeeze. “Now let's go wait for that ‘bunch of assholes’ somewhere that has coffee.”

 

They made their way down to the bunker door that was embedded into the side of the cliff, obscured by a few gnarled trees. After a quick scan of Jack's eye, the door hissed open and the two men stepped inside. Lights blinked on to illuminate the dim grey hallway, the scent in the air musty as always. It told Rhys that the old Hyperion base _still_ hadn't been upgraded into something useful. _What a waste._ Jack had always had some excuse as to why this facility wasn't functional and had always made some promise that it would be the next time around. Rhys knew that the real reason was that Jack didn't want anyone beyond Hyperion seeing their most updated tech, particularly not the leaders of the opposition.

“You know, if you're going to be lazy and leave your facilities to fall into disrepair, just give them over to Atlas.” Rhys nudged Jack with his shoulder as they walked. “You know how from we _love_ to take old, shitty, abandoned Pandoran outposts from outdated companies and transform them into something far better.”

Jack scowled at Rhys as he opened the door for him at the end of the hallway, allowing the younger man to pass through, however when Rhys glanced back over his shoulder Jack was simply shaking his head and laughing.

 

*

 

_“So you’re sure it’s the power systems and not the programming of the machines causing the faults?” Michael asked, eyeing Rhys vindictively as they made their way to the weekly board meeting. It was Rhys’ first as Head of Robotics and he really wasn’t in the mood for Michael’s bullshit. It had been a hell of a first week and this guy had, hands-down, the most punchable face Rhys had ever seen. Perhaps that was just the severe lack of sleep talking, though. Or perhaps Michael really was just that damn gross. They approached the boardroom, Rhys quaking in his boots and Michael yapping about something or another, when a firm hand landed on his shoulder from behind. The owner of the hand used Rhys as leverage to pull himself past, seemingly not caring about jostling the two heads of departments out of the way. It was Handsome Jack, Rhys realised, who had been the owner of the hand. Before them, the CEO slammed open the door to the room._

_“Whassup, bitches? Who’s ready to go to the fucking circus?”_

_With that, Rhys watched Jack whip out a gun from the holster on his thigh and fire three rounds into the room. One, two, three. All in the same direction. There were a few gasps and one small scream from inside and Rhys could feel his heart hammering desperately inside of his chest._

_“The clowns have had their fun, siphoning Hyperion blueprints off-world, but now’s the time to stop clowning around! That prick’s honked his hooter for the last fucking time.” Jack stopped and took a deep breath. “Someone get me a goddamn coffee.”_

_Rhys accidentally dropped his ECHO. It clattered on the tiled floor, breaking the silence that had followed Jack’s request. The CEO slowly turned, eyes locking with Rhys’._

_“Black. Shit ton of sugar.” Jack’s wicked smile grew wider as he raked his eyes up and down Rhys’ form. “Thanks, pumpkin.” Jack stepped into the room and went to let the door swing shut, but suddenly stopped. “Better hurry, pretty boy.” He looked back over his shoulder and patted his gun. “This baby’s still got two more rounds left in her.”_

_That was all the prompting Rhys needed to move his butt way faster than he had ever intended to._

 

_*_

 

Inside the room, Rhys moved to the decrepit coffee machine and proceeded to make two cups, one milky with a dash of hazelnut syrup and one black with a shit ton of sugar. Jack was busying himself at the end of the conference table, removing papers from his bag and checking some as he went. Reading glasses had replaced his sunglasses; these were a new addition that Rhys hadn't had the delight of seeing before, and those - along with the look of concentration on Jack's face - made Rhys’ stomach do a small flip.

“Here,” he said, brandishing the coffee at Jack. The older man took it and peered into the dark liquid with suspicion. He swirled the contents, peering inside as though it would reveal some kind of secret.

“Poison?”

Rhys smiled wide. “Only the highest quality you can find on Pandora.”

“I'd expect nothing less from you, babe.” With that, Jack drained the entire cup, smacking his lips when he brought the cup back down to the glass table. “You still know my coffee order?”

The statement was laced with elements of both surprise and gratitude. Rhys shrugged.

“Of course. You don't work alongside Handsome Jack  without having it burned into your brain that he needs copious amounts of sugar in a coffee that's as black as his soul.”

Jack opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by his ECHO bleeping in front of him. He snatched it up and quickly turned away from Rhys.

“What do you _want_ , Torgue? Yes, of course I'm here. I don't show up _late_ like some damn idio- _Excuse_ me?” The rage that had seeped into his tone crawled under Rhys’ skin. The Atlas CEO folded his arms as Jack glanced at him and then away again. “You what? You _what_ ?!” he shrieked, slamming his fist onto the table. An audible crack pinched the room. “No, I don't give a shit about - oh for _fuck_ sake. Give me one good reason not to - I will _kill_ you, you wiry, loudmouth whackjob.”

“Jack-” Rhys began, concerned. Jack's eyes found his and he raised a finger, stopping Rhys in his tracks. He then turned his attention back to Torgue.

“No, you piece of _shit_ , don't you dare-”

The sound of the call ending almost echoed through the room. It most certainly echoed in Rhys’ ears.

“The hell was that all about?” Rhys demanded, grabbing the ECHO and shaking it. Jack pulled a hand down his face, grimacing massively.

“Torgue just...cancelled.” A painful silence filled the room. “He's also decided to, _fuck_ , take it upon himself to contact the others and convince them to postpone. I'm...oh _shit_.”

“I'm _sorry_ ?” Rhys blurted. It took every fiber of his being to not launch his mug at the opposite wall. He couldn't, however, stop his whole being quaking with anger. Preparations for these meetings took _months_ of planning with security teams, planning with every fucking subsection of his company and planning insurances...God, those damn _insurances._ The cup cracked between his cybernetic digits. Jack was too busy pacing to notice.

“One day a year,” he muttered, apparently to himself. “One day a mother _fucking_ year to keep the peace and discuss more interplanetary trade options. We decided...oh those _cunts_ ...we decided that this was the best way to expand all our empires. Working together? Working together my _ass._ ” He span on the spot and stalked up to Rhys, confronting him toe to toe. Their faces were millimetres apart. “This is why I work _alone_.”

Rhys huffed and prodded Jack in the chest, hard. “Don't come at me like this was all my idea. It was a joint decision. Don't you think I know how tough it is organising a company-wide procedure to be put in place for this damn meeting?” Rhys pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. “I have to make so many calls.”

 

He had left the entirety of Atlas in his PA's hands and, capable as they were, he hadn't planned to be gone for more than half a day in the year, let alone any more than that. To his right, Jack went back to his incessant pacing and began shaking his head.

“They think they can just rearrange _this_ . Pieces of shit, Pandoran _scum_ -” He went on like this, muttering anguished insults under his breath. That, coupled with the pacing, was too much for Rhys, who lunged forward and grabbed Jack by the collar to get him to just.stop.moving.

“We don’t stand for it, do you hear me?” Jack blinked. “We don’t _fucking_ stand for it. There’s something off about this, I can smell it.”

“Then what do you suggest, oh _mighty_ Atlas?”

Jack’s collar still in his grasp, Rhys clenched more tightly, pulling Jack ever so slightly closer.

“ _Punishment_.”

A cruel smirk curled onto Jack’s lips. “Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty. Go on.”

“We intercept their trade ships. Cut them off at the source. Watch their capital sink to the damn ground for a few months. That should teach them.”

Jack suddenly looked like a wounded puppy. He stepped away and pouted.

“Oh. I thought you were going to suggest we-” He made a throat slicing motion with his hand. “- _punish_ them.”

Rhys glanced up at the ceiling. “Jack, not everything has to result in maiming and or inevitable death.”

“But baby, you _know_ the best things do.”

Rhys ignored this last statement as he sat down at the long table and placed his head in his hands.

“So this whole trip has just been a glorified vacation to see my old, murderous boss.”

A pat on the back. “Take comfort in the fact that I won’t be murdering _you_ any time soon, Rhysie.”

“What do we do now?”

A scrape of a chair being drawn back. Jack had obviously taken residence in the seat beside him.

“We go back to being the awesome CEOs that we are until we see those fuckwads again.”

“What a waste.”

“Hey!” Jack shook him, making Rhys groan and raise his head. The other CEO appeared affronted. Rhys really could _not_ bring himself to care.

“ _What_.”

“I don’t class it as a waste that I got to see my cute little ex-employee. Do you see it as a waste seeing me-” It was then that Jack finally coughed, slapping his chest. He slapped it again. “Seeing me- wait what the *cough* fuck.”

He stood, only just, before stumbling back and landing in a spluttering heap by the wall. Rhys rolled his eyes and rose to his feet, placing a hand on his hip and staring down at Jack. The man on the floor was struggling for breath, struggling for purchase and quite obviously struggling to comprehend what the hell was actually happening.

“ _R-Rhys_?” he managed, but Rhys simply tilted his head to the side and clicked his tongue, fingers tracing the rim of Jack's coffee cup.

“Highest quality poison on Pandora, I was told. Damn, would’ve thought that it would have killed you by now.” Rhys tutted. “I’ll have to kill off that shitty tradesman for lying to me. Tsk tsk.”

Jack’s fingers were already down his own throat, as far as they could go, and he threw up the contents of his stomach onto the floor. Skin turning paler by the second, Jack wiped his mouth on his sleeve and stared up at the Atlas CEO towering over him. His eyes were glassy.

“Oh grow up, Jack. You know fair’s fair. I can’t have you sending Hyperion spies into my facilities to try and duplicate my weapons before I release them, now can I?”

“You-little-shit-” Jack croaked, rubbing at his neck, his chest, his face. Sweat was beading above the top of his mask.

“Mmm. Learnt from the best, you see.” Rhys smiled. “Jack, not everything has to result in maiming and or inevitable death.” He knelt down, cupping Jack’s face in his hands. “But the best things do, _don’t you think_?”

Jack’s eyes grew impossibly wider at his remark. He made to grab Rhys by the throat but missed, weak and vulnerable. Rhys stood.

“Get over it. It’ll pass in a few minutes. Suck it up, deal with it while it lasts, then move on.”

“Wha-”

“I _said…”_ Quick as a flash, Rhys moved to grasp Jack by the hair, yank his head back and tip a small vial down his throat. Jack screeched and tried so hard to fight him off, but failed and slid to the floor, wrapping his arms around his legs. “I said that you’ll get over it. Take this as punishment. That’ll teach you.”

“You...fucking...poisoned...me.”

“Correction. I gave you a high enough dose of a nasty irritant that is easily fixable with just the right amount of antiserum or whatever.” Shrugging, Rhys tossed another vial at Jack. “I’d drink that. It’ll make you right as rain much sooner.”

Jack reached out and took the small glass container. His strength and mental capacities seemed to be returning already and boy, Rhys was loving the looks he was getting. As Jack uncapped the lid and tipped it into his mouth, Rhys continued.

“It’s a real shame. I was hoping for that spectacular show to be watched by our good weapons-manufacturing friends but sadly it was just one for me this time. However, I don’t think either of us want  an encore though, right?”

It wasn’t that Rhys wasn’t expecting to be lunged at. He was, truly. But the god-tier Atlas shield he was wearing caused a wobbling Jack to be rebounded and land on his ass once again. Rhys crossed his arms and then knelt down in front of Jack in prayer position, hands placed together. He closed his eyes.

“Jack. I am not an idiot. I am not a fool. I am the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company that has caught up with _your_ multi-billion dollar company in no less than four years. Do not, and I repeat, do _not_ treat me like one of those other assholes. I am not Torgue. I am not Maliwan. I am certainly not _fucking_ Tediore.” He opened his eyes and bored holes into Jack’s. “I am _Atlas_ and I will fuck you up if you _ever_ cross me again. Next time, there won’t be an antidote.” Rhys curled his fists into Jack’s shirt; Jack, who appeared to be frozen. “Next time, I will slip you a real poison so strong that you’ll goddamn disintegrate from the inside as soon as it touches your guts. Is that clear?”

No response. Jack continued staring at him, mouth hanging slightly open. Eventually, he blinked.

“Oh my fuck. I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on in my goddamn life.”

“Oh my _god_.”

 

Jack seemed to take his “near death experience” rather well. Rather too well, Rhys thought as they left the facility. Jack wouldn’t stop gushing about how proud he was of Rhys when, in actual fact, Rhys had rather been hoping that Jack would have just fucked off in rage. No. Instead, Jack had insisted that they travel back to Atlas together via the Hyperion shuttle he had waiting just over the northern ridge. As they walked towards the empty vehicle, Jack gestured wildly as he showered Rhys with praise. Rhys, only accepting the ride because it wouldn’t cost his company a dime, tried his best to ignore his former boss. The ride was lengthy, and something in the car was really pissing Rhys off (beyond Jack of course, who still wouldn’t shut the hell up). It was a constant beeping noise that Jack hadn’t seemed to notice. Eventually, Jack’s chattering and the beeping all got a bit much along with the roar of the engine, so Rhys clambered to his feet to find the source and turn it off.

“-and his head was like ‘phutt’ when I exploded it. God, I remember my first kill as CEO like it was yesterday. Hey babe, what are you even doing?”

Rhys patted a compartment by the door. “There’s a stupid beeping sound in your outdated shuttle, asshole.”

Cocking his head to the side, Jack listened. He sat there for a moment, taking in the sounds. Soon he stood, following his ear, all the way to Rhys.

“That’s not my _shuttle_.”

“Well, it is.”

Whipping out a knife from his belt, Jack easily prised open the compartment beside the door. They both took in the sight of what was inside before looking at one another, colour draining from both their faces.

_“Shit-”_

BOOM.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All your comments have been super sweet! Thank you so so so much! 
> 
> Also thank you to @erinchu on tumblr and AO3 for being my beta once again like old times. If you haven't read 'In Bloom' by that girl, I would go check it out. It's the ultimate Rhack fic.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is a bit of a filler but it was necessary to get the story going! Enjoy ~*

Everything had happened so fast. In a moment of obscene clarity just milliseconds before the explosion, Jack had managed to twist his fist into the back of Rhys’ jacket, yank the younger man flush against his chest and slam his hand on the button that opened the doors. The sudden, buffeting wind forced Jack to stumble, trip on the ridge at the bottom of the door, and accidentally turn himself about to leave Rhys facing the inside of the carriage. That had not been the plan. That had not been the plan at all. He had wanted to curl Rhys into his chest and protect him from the blast. He didn’t know why he still did, and that had pissed him off, but he hadn’t had time to focus on that.

Just as he’d fallen out, not knowing how far they were about to drop, the carriage had erupted into a ball of orange flame, with pieces of thick metal shrapnel flying outwards with the force of the explosion. The heat of the blast had been immense and all-consuming. An immediate, unspeakable pain had boiled up under Jack’s mask and it felt as though bubbles of liquid fire were popping against his skin. Realisation hit. The damn thing was _melting_ . In an instant, Jack tore it off and let it disappear on the thundering air, not caring at all any more. Simultaneously, a huge hunk of yellow shrapnel had hurtled towards them and, as though in slow motion, lodged itself deep into Rhys’ cybernetic arm. Rhys had shrieked as the metal had continued through and through and...and _god_ , Jack had no clue how deep the inevitable wound in his ribs would be when they landed. _If_ they landed. And survived. What Jack hadn’t seen was the piece of metal that smacked Rhys in the side of the head. He had, however, felt the man go entirely limp in his arms. The sudden dead weight almost caused Jack to let go.

“Fuck!” the older man cried out helplessly. They were still falling. Jack had managed to notice that they were descending into a valley, but that the ground was speedily approaching. Handsome Jack had not been ready to die. Nor had he been ready to lose…

“Rhysie, baby.” He had shaken the man in his arms and shouted over the deafening wind. “Rhys, please! Wake up. Wake _up_.”

A sick feeling had risen in his stomach before _thud. Shriek. Thud. Shriek. Thud. Shriek._ Jack and Rhys had slammed into an unsuspecting swarm of large rakk, hitting a few of the ugly beasts and then another few. It had damn well hurt, but Jack had praised whatever damn gods had been watching over them. He had clutched Rhys close, pulled his head into his chest and tucked his own head down, ready for the inevitable-

_Crunch._

 

_*_

 

 _“You complete sack of treasonous shit,” Jack snarled, looming large and menacing, a vein throbbing on what was visible of his forehead above the mask. Rhys backed away slowly, one hand in the air and the other wrapped tightly around his gun. He had finally been caught but it was too late._ Jack _was too late. There was nothing he could do about Rhys’ actions and it was visibly killing him. A tortured growl escaped Jack’s lips and Rhys knew that it was because the man_ knew _he could do absolutely nothing about what Rhys had done. About the fact that Atlas was back on its feet. Rhys had raised it up, up from the dead, and he’d done it right under Jack’s goddamn nose. Knowing the man - having idolised him and worked with him - Rhys knew that the crux of it all came down to Jack not noticing any of it was happening when Jack prided himself in knowing_ everything that was happening _._

_After Rhys had uncovered a key and unlocked a Vault, - gaining him unparalleled, direct access to pure Eridium with no need for miners and tools to tap into its potential - he’d known that he could be so much more than a Hyperion stooge. So much more than Hyperion, in fact. Some (Jack) would say he had been a fool. Others (Rhys) would say he’d simply made use of that which had been given to him and he’d done so with every ounce of his being._

_“Do you know how freaking terrified I was when the comms went dead the last time you went down to Pandora?”_

_Rhys swallowed hard. “You were scared for me?”_

_Jack paused in his step, blinked and shook his head. “No, you fucking_ tool _. I was scared that my best shot, at upgrading the Loaders and redivising my entire mining program, was dead. How could you do this to the company? To_ me _?” the older man growled, a guttural sound in his throat. Jack moved closer, across the private landing bay, and Rhys used his ECHO eye to track the incoming shuttle - his way out. This would be the last time he would ever leave Hyperion and it would_ not _be as a dead man. Oh, he would make sure of that. Nevertheless, the line of sight of the revolver in Jack’s hand was fixed on his chest and inside that chest, despite his best efforts, his heart rang out like a tribal drum. It felt as though Jack could hear it._

 _“You’ve never been one to turn down opportunity, Jack,” Rhys snapped back, noting that he had about a minute and a half to stall the Hyperion CEO, now his competition and his sworn enemy.  “A part of you must understand.”_ _  
_ _Jack’s lip curled. “Access to that Vault would have made Hyperion the most powerful company in the fucking universe. I would have been unstoppable._ We _would have been unstoppable.”_

 _This caused Rhys to chuckle despite his trembling. “We? You’re the most selfish prick alive. I would have handed over that information and you’d have had me back in my place faster than I could have blinked. Don’t try and deny it.”_ _  
_ _“Oh I’ll deny it.” He cocked his gun. A breath caught in Rhys’ throat. “I’d have made you a king, Rhysie. I’d have built a goddamn golden statue in your honour in the Hub of Heroism. Everyone would have known your name. You can still give the Vault over.” Closer and closer came Jack and the shuttle. “It’s not too late to put your name in lights here.”_

_Desperation. Well, that made it crystal clear that Handsome Jack had been well and truly beaten._

_“I have to do this,” Rhys murmured, hearing the shuttle arriving behind him. Jack’s eyes flew to the vehicle and then back to Rhys, finding his gaze. Rhys watched his hand tighten on the gun that had never wavered. Rhys stepped back, foot finding the shuttle’s entrance. His grip on his own gun tightened too. “I’ve earned this.”_

_“And_ I’ve _earned_ this _.” A shot fired. A massive pain erupted in Rhys’ right shoulder and the jolts of sudden, striking electrical energy zapped his nerves viciously. In seconds, his cybernetics fizzled to nothing and his arm dropped like a dead weight at his side. Panicked and wounded, Rhys fell backwards into his shuttle, eyes as wide as moons. He stared at Jack in confusion as the shuttle roared into life._

_“Why?” Rhys mouthed, clutching his arm. Other words failed him._

_Nothing. Not a smirk or an eyebrow twitch to tell him an answer. Before Rhys could blink, the shuttle sped off towards his future. Nevertheless, it wasn’t the glory or the freedom or even the promise of prodigy that swirled in his dazed head._

 

_It was the absolute unknown as to why he was still alive._

 

 _Handsome Jack was_ never _one to miss a shot._

 

_*_

 

There was an intense pain in Jack's side and skull as he began to come around. The blazing heat of a high sun suggested to him that he hadn't been out of it for too long. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't force his eyes open and instead rolled onto his back and allowed his body to catch up with whatever injuries he had sustained in the fall. The main thing was that he was alive. He felt about with his hand, searching for-

“ _Rhys_.”

His hand found the soft form of the Atlas CEO within arm’s reach and so he willed his eyes to open. The bright light made him wince but he managed to begin to take in his surroundings. The rakks, obviously incredibly disturbed by the attack from above, had thankfully disappeared. Jack glanced to his right. Rhys was laying on the ground, facing away from him. A pool of blood was beginning to form under his body, soaking into the brown Pandoran dirt.

“Rhys,” he breathed again, fighting through the pain and dragging himself over to him. As Jack peered over the deathly pale man, he noticed the horrendously large metal shard was still embedded through his arm and into his ribs. “Shit.”

He rolled the man over slowly. His face was dusty and chalk-white but nevertheless serene, almost as though he were in a deep sleep. That was what Jack feared the most. Frantically, he pulled Rhys into his lap, held him tight and shoved his fingers into the soft skin under his chin.

“Gimme a pulse, you Atlas prick. Come on.”

It took some hunting but it was there - barely - but there nonetheless, light and fluttering. The pressure that escaped from Jack's chest was immense. It still took all of his strength to reach into his jacket pocket and yank out the Insta-Health which he always kept on his person. It was the highest quality that money could buy as it had been personally formulated to complement his DNA so it could work even more efficiently. It had been made for _him_ , not the enemy that lay before him. Not the man who had snatched Hyperion's very future from his grasp. Not the man who had betrayed Jack so mercilessly despite...despite _everything_.

 

And yet, here sat the famously unforgiving Handsome Jack with his enemy bleeding out in his arms. The enemy whom he hated to admire and the man who he despised being proud of. He'd had to admit, eventually, that Rhys had only done what Jack would have done. What Jack _did_ do so many years before. Rhys hadn't betrayed Jack. He'd outshone him. He wore CEO like he was freaking born to do it. Atlas’ figures were beyond Hyperion's reach (for now) and it was all because of the clever, dying motherfucker that Jack clutched onto. Jack should just let him die here. Atlas would perish without Rhys. The competition would disappear and life would return to how it was before, how it was meant to be; with Hyperion at the top. His hand clenched around the Insta-Health, eyes widening at the growing pool of red beneath his competitor's body. It was now or never. Groaning and rolling his eyes, he tightly gripped the end of the metal shard that was protruding from Rhys’ chest.

“If this is all you get from Handsome Jack in this situation,” Jack hissed, “you'd better be goddamn thankful for it later.”

With that, Jack wrenched out the metal and blood spurted _everywhere._ The gash was so massive that Jack could literally see the man's crushed ribs and burst lung. Rhys’ eyes blew wide and the piercing scream he emitted was blood-curdling.

“Fuck you, don't be a pussy,” Jack grunted as he plunged the needle into Rhys’ pounding heart. He delivered the meds before dropping the needle to the ground, wincing at the amount of pain _he_ was in. Rhys convulsed on top of him, writhing with the medicine as it dashed to his wounds and reproduced his tissues at a ridiculous speed. Colour was rapidly returning to his face but his chest still heaved with his rapid breaths.

“Help!” Rhys suddenly shrieked out to no one, limbs flailing and eyes wide. Jack looked to the sky and slowly dropped back to his elbows.

“I _did_ , you ungrateful son of a bitch,” he managed, taking a deep breath.

Rhys’ hand went to his side and he felt at the frayed cloth and wet blood.

“Am I dying? Am I dead? Why can't I move my arm? What the hell is happening?”

Jack sighed and kneed Rhys in the spine. The younger man swiftly jumped off and span around, clearly feeling a lot better (and not leaking blood) but also obviously still stunned. His huge, round eyes locked with Jack.

“Hey, dum dum.” Jack offered a wave and, with a forced smile, gritted his teeth at the sharp pain that seared up his back. “You're fine. The explosion had us fall off the tracks and hit a few rakks before we hit the dirt.”

Rhys scrambled to his feet, bent over and clutched at his damaged cybernetic arm, staring Jack down.

“You said you helped me. I clearly needed it.” He gestured at his torn shirt and arm. “What did you _do_ ?” He blinked, jaw dropping slightly. “Where is your mask? Jack? _Jack?”_

Right now, Jack desperately, desperately wanted Rhys to shut up. He wanted to wallow in his growing agony in silence, goddamnit. He also wanted to forget that he was bearing his real, scarred, ugly face. Not that he cared about that? No, he _really_ didn’t care that Rhys could see his true face. Slowly, he lay down on the ground, closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. A moment of silence passed.

“You're hurt.”

“No shit, sunshine.”

“Let me check you over.” The sound of Rhys dropping to his knees beside him followed.

“...Please don't.” A warm hand was now on his chest. In an instant, Jack's eyelids flew open and he clenched Rhys’ wrist tightly. The pain in his back was unbearable as he did so. “I said _don't.”_

Although the concern in his face didn't dissipate, Rhys pulled his hand from Jack's grasp and sat back on his ass, watching him, eyeing him oddly. He looked spent, his tie loose and his hair a mess. Jack licked his lips.

“It's not serious,” he grunted, attempting to sit up but failing. He hissed under his breath as he fell back but he didn't hit the dust. Rhys caught him with his good arm. Jack opened his eyes. Rhys blinked.

“I have a medical pack. It should subdue some of the pain. Then we'll call Hyperion and get you fixed up, okay?”

Jack grimaced but agreed, sighing deeply as Rhys applied the meds. The pain lulled, not entirely disappearing, but Jack was able to clamber to his feet albeit a little wobbly. His hand went to his ECHO, knowing that Rhys was right and that going back to Hyperion as soon as possible was the best choice he could make. He was sure he had broken a rib or two. Or maybe three. He patted his thigh.

“My ECHO's gone,” he remarked, glancing down. With that, they both looked about and there it lay, in the dirt about ten feet away. Rhys raised an eyebrow and advanced, bending and brushing off the dust as he stood.

“Fuck.”

“...It’s busted?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Well shit.” Jack shrugged, waving it off. “Use yours then.”

Rhys turned and chewed his bottom lip. Jack did _not_ like the look on his face. He took a step towards Rhys.

“Don’t you say it,” Jack growled.

“I would…if…”

“Rhys, I swear to God.”

“...if my arm was working...I can't use my eye for...for commands without my arm…”

Jack's heart stopped. He placed his hands over his face and slowly dropped back down to his knees.

  
They were _stranded._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy. I've really been slaving away at this fic. I pumped out pretty much two whole chapters yesterday so keep your eyes peeled for Chapter 4 very very soon. Maybe even today (if you're lucky ;-) ) ???
> 
> Thanks again to the beautiful Erinchu for doing the good kush and being a fab beta. I love you (^3^) xxxxxx
> 
> Anyway, enjoyyyyy xxxx

Painful minutes passed, involving Rhys yelling and pacing and Jack doing exactly the same but with a slight limp and a hand clutching his back.  Both men hated their situation but neither could come up with a satisfactory solution.

 

*

 

_“I’m just saying that it wouldn’t be very sensible to work on that project at this time, sir.”_

_The entire meeting room fell to a complete hush. The sudden silence that poured into the air was almost palpable. At the end of the table, Handsome Jack sat, eyes closed and tight fist clenched against his mouth. The audience waited on bated breath, ready for the gun shot or the promise of a good airlocking. At the other end of the table stood the Head of Hyperion’s Robotics Department. He stood tall and confident, with his cybernetic hand open showing data flitting back and forth on his projection. He wasn’t even making eye contact with Jack._

_“He isn’t even looking at Jack,” Rhys heard Michael mutter under his breath, clearly completely flabbergasted. Rhys could only smirk and huff out a soft laugh under his breath. The losers who sat around the table, shifting in their seats uncomfortably, were all indispensable to Jack. But Rhys? Oh boy, Jack could_ never _do better than Rhys. His robotics creations and technological advancements essentially fuelled the company’s bank balance and were what was keeping Hyperion at the top of the weapons’ game. Of most games, in fact. And the things Rhys had to present at this meeting? Well, that was the clincher. Nevertheless, when Jack opened his eyes and locked his stern gaze onto Rhys, it looked as though he_ wished _he could do better than Rhys._

_“Oh really? And what makes you say that, smartass?”_

_Rhys chuckled and brought up another holo which he cast to the projector in the centre of the board table. It expanded out for the entire room to see. Columns of data sprawled out into the air._

_“As you can all see, the over-funding of the mining projects is deeply affecting Hyperion in multiple areas. If we start moving in and enhancing the tech in the mines, we’ll have to make cutbacks in other areas and our competitors_ certainly _aren’t making those kinds of reductions.”_

_Jack stood, slamming his hands down on the table. All of a sudden, it was just Rhys and Jack in the room but for Rhys, when had it not been?_

_“You little shit. You come in here and you start telling_ me _how to run_ my _company?_ _You have some fucking balls to-”_

 _Rhys silenced Jack with a single finger raised in the air. A culmination of sucked-in breaths dappled the room. He had been on the board for so long that he knew_ exactly _how Jack worked. He wasn’t scared of him any more and he didn’t need to be. As soon as he revealed what he had discovered, he’d be revered by these low-lifes around the table and most definitely by Jack himself. Nonetheless, his good-for-nothing heart was, as usual, hammering in his chest. He had, after all, just confronted and probably embarrassed_ the _Handsome Jack in front of his most esteemed colleagues. Therefore, to finally prove his point and get it all over with, he pulled up what he had been working on solidly for the past month.  There were strangled gasps around the room as Rhys showed the smuggled data he had procured from Hyperion’s top three rivals. It all showed exactly why Rhys was right. He took immense pleasure in watching Jack’s eyes widen as he took in what he was seeing. The older man’s jaw dropped a little, and then a little more. He slowly lowered himself back into his chair as he continued drinking in the numbers._

_“How?” was all that escaped his lips, eyes running back and forth over the hologram. A swelling of pride was almost bursting in Rhys’ chest. That and his stupid heart._

_“I’d be happy to run through the logistics of how I came about these figures after this meeting, sir. However, it’s very clear that we have extremely pressing matters to attend to. The Robotics Department is already setting in motion plans that will counteract a large proportion of these numbers but as I’m sure everyone is aware by now…” Rhys finally left his body and took notice of those around him who weren’t Jack. “...this is going to have to be a team effort.”_

_Jack stood abruptly. Everyone’s heads snapped around to watch what the CEO would do next. Rhys betted that some of them were convinced Rhys would be shot point blank._

 

_Rhys knew better._

 

 _“Get out!” Jack barked, slamming a hand down hard on the table. The boardroom stood. His eyes met Rhys’. “You heard him. This meeting will reconvene tomorrow, same time, and you ugly_ fucks _better have some kind of almighty plans to...to...to counteract these goddamn numbers. And you’d all better_ pray _you have some kind of hot shit plans, or I will fucking kill you all.” The room stilled and Jack yanked his gun from its holster. “I SAID GET OUT!”_

_The crowd scattered with worried babbling suddenly rupturing the quiet of the room. They all scrambled out of the door, fearful voices following them out into the hallway. They gradually vacated the room, eventually leaving Jack and Rhys alone. The two men hadn’t taken their eyes off of one another the entire time the rest of their colleagues were departing. As soon as the door closed after the last employee vacated the room, Jack stormed around the table towards him. Rhys didn’t have time to think until he was slammed hard against the back wall, a hand wrapped around his throat. He could almost taste the coffee and cologne that emanated from the man whom the hand belonged to; he could feel the anguish pulsating through his palm and into the skin of Rhys’ neck. Rhys’ breath caught in his throat as Jack simply stared at him for a while, their faces only inches apart._

_“You enjoyed that, hmm?” he snarled, squeezing a little harder. “Did ya enjoy it, Rhysie? Putting on that show?”_

_“Every minute of it,” Rhys managed and, despite barely being able to breathe, he cracked a sly smile. Jack’s face moved impossibly closer._

_“You’ve got_ some _nerve, kiddo.”_

 _“You_ love _it.” Rhys didn’t know where that had come from. It had slipped out; it had felt right in his mouth but now very wrong in the open air. He shouldn’t have said it. Jack raised an eyebrow. He shouldn’t have-_

_“How the hell did you get that intel?”_

_Rhys’ hands clutched at Jack’s hand before making their way up his arms to his shoulders, trying to push him away. Jack’s grip loosened on his neck and Rhys gulped down a huge breath. He watched his hands trail slowly back down Jack’s arms, stopping on his forearms as he steadied himself. Their foreheads brushed slightly as Jack watched too. Rhys was very confused, wondering why he was behaving this way and why Jack was allowing it to happen. Intense heat pooled in his stomach._

_“It took some digging,” he replied, swallowing hard and bracing himself against the wall behind him. It was beginning to dawn on him that Jack was_ right there _and that every fantasy Rhys had ever had was could play out if he just… He gazed at Jack's mouth for a moment. His stomach really was like a furnace now and he knew his cheeks were shamefully red. He daren’t look into Jack’s eyes but he couldn’t help himself. When he found them, he found the older man boring holes into him, but they were not filled with hatred. Something...else. Something else echoed in them. He kept Jack’s gaze._

_“I have lots of contacts on Pandora,” he said in a near-whisper, eyes darting to Jack’s lips and back again. He licked his own and didn’t miss Jack noticing. “I’m a master at hacking technology, and I particularly love doing it to the enemy.”_

_Jack’s hands splayed out on the wall beside him._

_“You're something else, cupcake,” the man mused, a note of something akin to admiration in his voice. Handsome Jack? Admiring Rhys? It was all a bit much for the younger man. He felt his knees buckle a little._

_“There’s more to me than meets the eye,” he replied softly. “...I can...I can do anything you want me to.”_

_His bravery was slipping. He swallowed again and watched as Jack eyed his bobbing throat._

_“Fuck,” Jack hissed, pushing himself off of the wall and stepping back before turning away from Rhys and rubbing at his chin. He paced away, back across the room to where he'd previously sat. Clutching at the back of his chair, Jack took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I should have known what they were all up to.”_

_Despite the fact that there was no hand around his neck, Rhys could still barely breathe. Every part of his being was reaching out for Jack, his hope clawing like tendrils towards the man, desperate to pull him back in. Having him that close...looking at his mouth...breathing his air… God, Rhys prayed Jack didn’t look down or he would see exactly what he’d done to him._

_“Sir, we now have a map to their entire future prospects-”_

_“I should have_ known!” _A glass flew off of the table and smashed into the wall._

_“-You can’t beat yourself up about that-”_

_“Go, Rhys,” Jack snapped, cutting him off. His knuckles were white as he clenched the chair. “I’ll see you in my office this afternoon so you can run through those plans you spoke about in the…” Jack waved his hand in the air, as though trying to conjure his thoughts. “...in the damn...in the meeting.”_

_Rhys gathered his things and headed to the door where he lingered for a moment. “If I hadn’t done what I did...if I hadn’t pulled it up in front of the board...you’d never have listened.”_

_“Rhys, you have five seconds to get your butt out of that door before I goddamn kill you.”_

 

_*_

 

_And with that, Rhys was gone. Jack yanked the chair back and collapsed in it, burying his head in his hands. If the problem wasn’t sorted as soon as humanly possible, Hyperion would crumble. He looked down at his crotch. He also had another huge problem that he really hadn’t needed at all and it came in the package of a dumb, overconfident, stupidly brilliant, sexy little robotics nerd._

 

_Fucking. Rhys._

 

_*_

 

“We don’t need to go waltzing out into the damn desert in hopes that we just _stumble_ upon somewhere. This is freaking Pandora! We do not have comms or extra ammo. We. will. die.”

Rhys put his hands on his hips. “Well, I’d love to hear your solution to this situation, but your name is _Handsome_ Jack, not _Intelligent_ Jack, so what good are you?”

“ _There’s no ring to fucking ‘Intelligent Jack’ you idiot.”_

“Oh, shut up. What do _you_ propose?” Rhys drawled.

Jack ran his hand through is hair, hating it when he felt the edges of his scar just before his hairline. “We should go back to the bunker. There’s a med bay there where I can fix myself up. We can also get in communication with Hyperion and Atlas from there.”  
Rhys rolled his eyes. “You really are a dumb fuck of a CEO, aren’t you?” He threw his hands in the air and Jack frowned, affronted. “Did you not see the shitty tech you had in there? There’s no way that’s been updated since the ECHOnet expansion last year.”

“...And?”

Jack had never seen Rhys so on the brink of insanity than when he spoke that single word.

“Oh my god?? Are you?? Serious?” Rhys stomped over to him and jammed a finger into his chest, which hurt. Jack pouted. “That old junk wouldn’t work on the new systems. Not without a full refit _which did I or did I not recommend you did the last time we were fucking here?!”_

Jack raised his hands in defeat. “Okay, okay. Wow.” He placed his hands on the back of  his head. “Look here, pumpkin - the bunker is the only option we have for shelter right now. It has a supply of dried food and some water. It’s our best place to recon while we decide our next steps.”

Despite Rhys huffing, rolling his eyes and sighing, Jack knew he had won this round. Rhys then turned on his heel, placed a hand over his eyes and looked up at the tracks that ran across the top of the valley.

“We came from that way,” Jack announced, pointing to the west. “We’d only been on the tracks for a few minutes, so I’d wager it’s about an hour’s trek. Your skag skin boots gonna be able to take that, Rhysie?”

Rhys flashed him a glare followed by a knowing grin. “They’re actually made from a Guardian that crossed me in my Vault, so they’re pretty durable. You know,” he waved his hands in the air, “Guardians.” Jack’s jaw dropped as Rhys began the hike towards the bunker. “Close your mouth and start walking.” Rhys tossed a look over his shoulder. “ _Handsome_.”

 

After forty-five minutes of walking, Jack could barely breathe. The meds had all but worn off and the pressure he was putting on his body from walking was not doing him any good at all. It had called for Rhys to hook Jack over his shoulder and walk the both of them for the remaining time until the bunker entrance was just around the corner. Jack hacked out a cough and blood unexpectedly spattered the dirt.

“Oh shit,” Rhys muttered, looking to Jack who was now white as a ghost. He looked like he was about to pass out. “Stay with me, Jack. Only a few more minutes, I promise.”

“I’m gonna make hammocks from your eyelids!”

Rhys glanced up. Three bandits were ahead, searching through the bodies of their comrades. They’d clearly seen Rhys before he’d seen them. A psycho screeched and waved his axe in the air.

“Look at me when I’m charging at you!” it shrieked, falling into a horrifically fast run.

“Rhys,” Jack choked, dropping to his knees. “I can’t…”

Rhys took a deep breath and let go of Jack. He grabbed his gun from his belt and fired at the psycho, catching him in the shoulder and the side. The creep kept running at him. Another few bullets and he was down. Rhys turned on the others but had to duck down behind a handy nearby barrel.

“Come on, Rhys. You took down tons before. This is just two,” he told himself. A roar erupted in the distance, just beyond the ridge. It sounded like...it sounded like a dozen more bandits. “...Oh.” Bullets pinged off of the barrel. Rhys peeked out and fired, managing to down another one before his gun ran out of bullets. “Oh _shit_.”

A gun scooted across the dust to his foot. Jack offered him a weak thumbs up and a nod.

“Fuck ‘em up, kiddo.”

Rhys took it without a second thought. A top-of-the-range Hyperion issue pistol, not even on the market yet. Rhys could ruin Jack’s chances with this gun if he got away... _BOOM_. A grenade exploded just far away enough not to do any damage but Rhys’ ears rang like a bitch. He leant around and fired, loving the feel of the gun and its fire rate. He wiped out the final bandit but the roaring was growing ever closer. He turned, ready to grab Jack, but found a psycho atop the older man, glinting axe blade only millimetres from slicing his wide neck open. Jack was clearly using every ounce of his strength to prevent himself from being chopped up and Rhys went to fire but again, no bullets. Without a second thought, he tossed the gun aside and ripped the knife from his belt. He sprang, plunging it into the psycho’s skull. Blood spurted everywhere and Rhys used all of his weight to throw the psycho off of Jack. The asshole was still trying to fight, but every move was growing weaker and weaker until finally, with brains slopping out of the hole Rhys had drilled through his scalp, he stilled.

“Jack,” Rhys breathed, turning to the man still laying on the floor. He coughed again, a rattling sound in his chest, and more blood trickled from his mouth. His eyes looked everywhere and nowhere all at once, glossy and weeping. “Hey, hey it’s okay, I’ve got you.” He somehow managed to get Jack to his feet but had to take pretty much every bit of his weight.

 

Handsome Jack was _dying_.

 

“Come on, you piece of shit. You’re not gonna die today. We can make it to the bunker. We can do this.”

Rhys saw the bandits breach the ridge on the other side of the overpass. There were at least thirty of them charging towards them.

“Jack, I really need you to help me out as much as you can here.”

Jack put a little bit more pressure on his own feet and that was all Rhys needed to get them to the bunker door.

“Your eye. I need your eye.”

Jack’s eyes were rolling around in the back of his head. Rhys grabbed at his jaw, yanked his head down and ignored the sob of agony that escaped Jack’s mouth. Another sob. And another. Forcing his head to the scanner, Rhys bit down hard on his lip. Jack dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the rock and the door, leaning into the scanner. He placed his forehead against the metal. Rhys could hear the bandits footsteps.

“Jack-”

The door hissed open and Rhys looked up to the sky, thanking the heavens. Dashing inside, he grabbed Jack by the back of his jacket and _pulled_ with all his might. Jack yelped, stumbling and groaning through gritted teeth. As soon as they were both inside, Rhys slammed it shut just as an axe sickeningly _thwomped_ into the rock just beside the scanner. He breathed heavily, leaning against the cold metal and appreciating the coolness against his flushed skin. Jack coughed. Rhys turned. More blood than Rhys had seen yet poured out of his mouth. In fact, it was more blood poured out than he'd ever seen pour out of a person's mouth. It pooled on the floor, thick and oozing. The man couldn’t _breathe._ Rhys swallowed around the lump in his own throat.

 

“Oh _shit_.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told ya you'd have Chapter 4 very soon! And this is a long one! 
> 
> Thanks to my perfect beta Erin (erinchu) who makes me smile every day xxx

 

_Jack clapped Rhys on the back and threw his head back, laughing heartily._

_“Oh boy, those dickwads won't even know what's hit 'em! God, those noobs will be so...so fucking…oh man…” Jack lost himself in his cackles, dropping into his chair and wiping his eye. “Rhysie, you're a damn genius.”_

_The two men had been working side by side for months, working on the plans Rhys had brought forward at the board meeting that had changed Hyperion entirely. Departments had changed routines, changed their outlooks and changed their staff to accommodate the news Rhys had shared. Jack had been treating him like a partner the entire time. True, Rhys had been threatened with death once or twice in that time but none of those threats had ever been meant with malice. At least, that's what Rhys liked to believe. His relationship with Jack was...interesting, to say the least. Jack had been very standoffish for the first few weeks; he'd paid Rhys (as a human being) little mind whilst Rhys had begun to work on putting his plans into action. However, ever since it had become clear that Rhys’ plans would be successful, Jack had been far more…friendly. Rhys couldn't really describe it. He just seemed interested in Rhys, beyond his role at the company. Like he cared about Rhys and that he realised Rhys was a person. With feelings. Rhys would even go as far to say they had become...something like friends? He hadn't been anywhere near as unkind to him as he was to others, even when Rhys almost cost them the entire plan when he fucked up communications with Pandora one time. It had been fixed, and Rhys had expected to be at least reprimanded, but Jack had forgiven him._ _Rhys had been very confused about that._

 _There was also the matter of the touches. The hand on the small of his back whenever he and Jack were around other people. The shoulder squeezes. The knee squeezes. The closeness. It seemed that Jack could never get close enough to Rhys. Sometimes it even seemed that he could never get_ enough _of Rhys. At first, Rhys had thought that Jack was just like this with anyone he didn’t want to murder. After a while, however, he’d started to pick up on the fact that Jack only seemed to be this way with_ him. _He really didn’t know what to do with this information._

_“Hey, pumpkin, ya with me?” Jack clicked his fingers and brought Rhys out of his thoughts. The older man rose from his chair and began advancing around the table, trailing his index finger along the surface as he went. Rhys blinked back into himself and smiled slightly, both knowing and hating that a pink tinge was washing over his cheeks as Jack got closer. He always seemed to get like that around the man. Maybe it was the way he carried himself._

_Maybe it was that Rhys had a huge, fat, stupidly dangerous crush on his CEO that he didn't know what to do with himself about._

_Except when he was in his shower._

_Or in his room._

_Or...in Jack's office bathroom stall._

_“What I'm saying is, you did a good job today, kiddo.” Jack's hands came to rest on his shoulders._ A squeeze. _“You’re uh...an...asset. To the company.” He shrugged. “I guess.”_

 _Jack's hands were still on his shoulders._ Why were Jack's hands still on his shoulders? _Rhys swallowed._

_“Look, Rhyso, Rhysie, Rhyssss, I'm not one to dish out compliments like...ever. Okay?” His fingertips trailed down Rhys’ front, flattened hands coming to rest on his chest, but it seemed like his mind was elsewhere. “But you're...wow.”_

_It was then Jack paused. He seemed to revisit himself and slid his hands off of Rhys. The younger man raised an eyebrow and chewed on his bottom lip for a moment._

_“I'm ‘wow’?”_

_The man in question stepped back, running a hand through his hair. It had fallen out of place a little over the hours they'd been in his office, and his shirt was open a lot more than usual. Not that Rhys had noticed._

 

_...Oh boy, Rhys had totally noticed._

 

_This dishevelled-Jack look was something Rhys loved.  He'd seen it a lot over the time they'd been working together and it never stopped getting Rhys hot under the collar. However, much to Rhys' confusion, Jack closed his eyes and stepped even further back._

_“I'll see you tomorrow. We can wrap this up and get it all over with.”_

_“No no, you said-”_

_Rhys didn't have time to think before he was slammed into a pillar. Not hard, just...slammed. Jack had his hands wrapped in Rhys’ lapels and his face was red with...could it be...embarrassment?_

_“I know what I_ said _!” he snapped. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down quickly, Rhys noticed. “I know what I said, Rhys. You're damn...a damn fine…” Jack swallowed again. “Robotics lead.”_

_Rhys’ breathing came hard and fast. Jack was centimetres away, so close Rhys could almost...if he wanted to...he could...lean and…his eyelids fluttered shut._

_He could feel Jack pulling him closer by his lapels and Rhys’ dick was about to shoot through the damn roof. He felt Jack’s hair brush against his forehead. Was this...something that was...happening? After all the sexual tension and touches and praising? They were going to…?_

_“I can take it from here, Rhys,” Jack muttered. “I want you back in your department tomorrow, not here.”_

_Rhys choked on his own fucking spit. His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach._

_“_ Excuse me _?” he breathed, rage consuming him and all the courage in his body allowing him to shove Jack away. The CEO was startled, as his eyebrows shot up and he stumbled a little from the shove. “I can do_ what, _Jack?”_

_“Watch yourself, Rhysie,” he hissed back, but simultaneously retreated. Rhys must have really looked a picture. Jack frowned deeply. “You don’t want to go doing something you’ll regret.”_

_Letting his head fall back, Rhys laughed. “Oh,_ I’ll _regret this, will I?” He stormed over to Jack and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Jack’s eyes almost popped out of his skull. “I put my soul_ _into this project. I gave you the only way out of the shitshow Hyperion would have faced if it hadn’t been for me. And you have the_ audacity _to kick me out at the last minute?” Using the strength in his cybernetic arm, he threw Jack against his own desk. For once, Jack was being quiet. He simply stared at Rhys, completely gobsmacked. Rhys pointed his finger at his boss. “You’d be nothing_ _without me,_ sir. _” He spat the final word. It was at that point that Rhys’  emotions took over. His eyes brimmed and he sucked in a breath. “_ Why _? What did I do_ wrong _?”_

 

_*_

 

 _“_ Why _? What did I do_ wrong _?”_

 

 _God, the hurt in his voice wrecked Jack to his very core. Jack had fucked up. He knew it. Rhys knew it. He’d let himself get too close. He’d amused his attraction to Rhys for too long. To a point where Rhys could shove him against his desk and yell at him and Jack_ let him.

_Rhys was too valuable to call any more than a Head of Robotics. If Jack...even as a fuckbuddy...if something went wrong...no._

_Rhys was right. He was the reason that Hyperion stood a chance for the future. His findings were the glue that was holding the company together. And it was for those very reasons that Jack could never…if something went wrong there and Rhys…_

_He took a deep breath and closed his eyes._

_“If you do not leave this room before I count down to zero.” His eyes shot open. “I will fucking airlock you for insubordination to the highest extent.”_

_“Do it,” Rhys snarled without missing a beat. He balled his hands into fists. “Do it, you coward.”_

_“You know I will.” Jack pushed away from the desk, straight into Rhys. He shoved him back, causing the younger man to lose his balance and stagger back. “I shouldn’t stand for this from you,” he snapped._

_Rhys paused, regaining composure. It was as though a wash of calm had come over him and something about that deeply unnerved Jack. Rhys straightened his tie and stepped back into Jack’s space. He brought his face a breath away from Jack’s._

_“And yet,_ Jack _,” he mused, doing up a button on Jack’s shirt. “You just have_ , _haven’t you?” With that, he stalked away to the door, stopping as his hand reached the handle. “Think about_ that.”

_The door opened. Rhys left. It slammed closed. Jack slid to the floor, staring after him. Even he couldn’t put words to what had just taken place. Nevertheless, something at the back of his mind niggled forward and settled uncomfortably with him._

 

 _“Oh,_ I’ll _regret this, will I?”_

_Something in that had sounded like a promise that this wasn’t the last Handsome Jack would be brought down to size by Rhys from Robotics._

_Jack closed his eyes and tried to rid his mind of Rhys from Robotics, who had just left an emptiness in Jack that he hadn’t even known he was capable of feeling in the first place._

 

*

 

Rhys tore through the med bay like a rocket, throwing open cabinets and drawers in desperation. His dead cybernetic arm was not useful here and it made it all the more difficult to search with one hand.

“C’mon, c’mon, there has to be one of you here somewhere!”

The med bay wasn’t exactly up to standard, nor was it very well stocked. Rhys cursed Hyperion and Jack and the world under his breath as he threw aside pain killers and med packs and bandages. Jack was sprawled on the gurney, chest barely moving now. Rhys kept glancing back over, wanting to make sure he was still alive and that the hunting he was doing wasn’t all for nothing.  Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a metal box on the wall that read ‘For Emergencies Only’. That sounded like something Rhys could be using. He sprang over and, to his absolute relief, an Insta-Health greeted him. Without even hesitating, he grabbed the syringe, turned and plunged it into Jack’s bare chest. He delivered the golden liquid inside and then stepped back, waiting. Rhys worried at his lip til it almost bled. Finally, a gasp of breath and Jack sat up, staring ahead of him.

“Holy fuck.”

“Jack?”

“That was something.”

“Well, yeah.”

Jack turned his head and looked at Rhys. “Thanks.”

Rhys nodded. Jack stretched on the gurney, the bruising on his ribs having disappeared completely. He yawned before staring up at the ceiling.

“Why did you save me?” he said, unblinking. This took Rhys by surprise. He backed up against the wall.

“I suppose...for the same reason you saved me.”

 

At this, Jack sat up and got off the bed. He met Rhys’ eyes and something in Jack’s own gaze was _hungry_. Rhys wished he could back up more but the wall was unforgiving. Without a word, Jack moved across the room towards him.

 

_*_

 

 _The boardroom was silent as Jack talked through how everything had gone down. Rhys sat because he had to, but he scribbled furiously into his notebook. It was a black mess, no detail or shape to it. But it was better staring at and creating that than it was listening to Jack talk about_ his _baby. Rhys should have been the one delivering this speech. He’d done most of the work. Suddenly, his eye blinked with a message. It was from August._

_“Hey man, got a sweet deal down here that you’re for sure gonna be interested in. A Vault Key. I know you’ve always had an eye for this sorta thing and I felt that you’d appreciate the knowledge. Anyway, you want it, it’s ten mill. Pretty sure that’s chump change where you’re from. Lemme know. Speak soon, cousin.”_

_“And we should all be thanking Rhys for his intellect. We wouldn’t be here today with this triumph if it wasn’t for him.”_

_Rhys glanced up from the table surface. Jack was gesturing at him and the boardroom was applauding._ _Before August’s message, maybe Rhys would have taken this opportunity to tell the entire board that Jack was a stupid prick, who was so ashamed of himself that he couldn’t be man enough to admit his own feelings that Rhys had lost all credit for all the work he had done. Instead, with images of Vaults floating around in his head, he stood with a knowing smirk curling onto his mouth. Jack eyed him curiously, raising his eyebrow at Rhys’ sudden change in attitude._

_‘Oh Jack,’ Rhys thought. ‘Oh baby, you have no idea what you’ve done.’_

_The meeting eventually wrapped up and people began filing out, chatting happily about the progress Hyperion had made and how pleased they all were with themselves for making it this far without getting murdered. Rhys remained in his seat at the opposite end of the table to Jack, drumming his fingers against the surface and watching Jack's every move._

_“Haven't you got somewhere to be, Rhys?” the man muttered, leafing through the papers in front of him. Rhys sighed and rolled his eyes, heart still thudding from the knowledge that he had access to a_ Vault _and Jack had no idea. It was arousing; Jack being in the dark on this and Rhys having such a hidden power was seriously turning Rhys on. This key was the perfect bargaining chip he needed to make Jack feel small like he deserved._

 _“Nowhere special, sir. My hard work is done, you see.” He waved his hand at the screen on the wall that showed off all of_ his _work that Jack had snatched him from. 'Punishment for insubordination'. Slowly, he rose to his feet. With a Vault Key, maybe he didn't even need Jack. Perhaps he'd have access to more than...more than maybe even Hyperion. Vaults were a mystery. Who knew what laid beyond for Rhys? In his stupor, Rhys had risen from his chair and was making his way around the table towards Jack, his fingertips tracing the surface just as Jack had done in his office. Jack looked up from his papers._

_“One more step and I'll-”_

_Rhys stopped dead on the spot. Jack blinked._

_“What's the plan now, sir? What's the next big thing for Hyperion?”_

_Jack coughed and shuffled his documents, flicking through them. Rhys knew for a fact that those papers had nothing to do with his question._

_“We go back to the mines. The uh...the tech upgrades can go ahead now...and...um…”_

_Rhys was getting closer again. Jack seemed to be ignoring him, or perhaps he secretly wanted him closer. Rhys smirked at the thought._

_“And we can get started on that gun line we discussed...the one with the...oh fuck.” A hand landed softly on Jack's shoulder. A moment of silence passed. “You gonna kill me, Rhysie?”_

_“Looks like you're open to something of the sort.”_

_Jack shrugged. “Guess I deserve it.”_

_Rhys span the chair around, leaning on the arms of it. Jack glared into his eyes._

_“You do deserve it...god, you deserve it.” Rhys traced Jack's jawline with his finger. Jack's top lip twitched as he did so. “Because you're a fucking asshole.”_

_Rhys’ hand continued down Jack's chest and he stopped at his heart, which was beating furiously. You wouldn't have known with how he kept face._

_“So you_ do _have one of those,” Rhys leered. “And here I was thinking you were dead inside.”_

_Jack stood suddenly then, taking Rhys’ wrists in his hands and pushing him away._

_“Kill me or don't, kid. Either way, I'm getting bored of this.”_

_Rhys tilted his head to the side. “Oh but you're never bored of this, are you? Your dick gets hard just_ thinking _about me.”_

 _Jack's eyebrows shot through the ceiling. “You_ presumptuous _little_ shit _.”_

_The punch that was delivered to Rhys’ jaw was incredibly painful but incredibly worth it. He stumbled back, rubbing his face but laughing._

_“Oooh, that hit a nerve!”_

_Jack was glowering and advancing. He grabbed Rhys by the shoulder and dragged him towards the door._

_“You're lucky I don't airlock y-”_

_Rhys span and laughed again, high and cold._

_“Oh my god, then just do it already?! I'm starting to think you_ care _too much to make a goddamn move.”_

_Rhys was against a wall again. They kept ending up against walls. Jack was there, right there. He was gripping Rhys’ jacket tightly and he wouldn't meet Rhys’ eyes._

_“That's.the.fucking.problem,” he breathed, barely audible._

_“What? What is it, you prick?” Rhys choked out, but Jack pushed him to the door. Rhys stopped him by pushing against the door frame and over his shoulder he shot daggers at the man. “You have one chance here. I'm going to walk out of that door and I won't be sorry for anything that happens next if I do.”_

_A beat. And another. Jack just stood there, staring at the marble floor. Rhys nodded._

_“Understood,_ sir _.” His drawled words hit the ground like rocks and Jack launched out his hand, grabbing Rhys’ flesh arm by the wrist. Turning, Rhys’ eyes were glossy and filled with betrayal. Jack's own were filled with something Rhys had never seen and hope bloomed in his chest. Maybe-_

_“I expect your reports on my desk by Wednesday.” Jack's eyes grew vacant._

_Rhys took a shaky breath in. He nodded, heart shrivelling and tears stinging the corners of his eyes._

_“Yes, sir,” he managed, before wrenching his wrist from Jack's grip and storming out of the door._

 

_*_

 

Jack advanced, going to grab Rhys by the shoulders, but Rhys frowned and ducked under his arm. He slipped past Jack and bumped into the gurney as he tried to back away.

“Don't even fucking think about it,” he snapped angrily, wishing he could fold his arms but his cybernetics just weren't having it. “You think? That after all this time you can just? Come into my space? And try to pull _that_ bullshit?” He waved his flesh hand in the air before walking away to the edge of the room and tidying away some of the meds he'd strewn about earlier. “I'm not some common Hyperion slut that you can just pick up whenever you want.”

Jack was silent for a moment. “You always were a stubborn little thing.”

Rhys rolled his shoulders and laughed, but didn't give Jack the satisfaction of seeing his face. “Oh, _I'm_ stubborn? That's rich.”

“You're denying me after all that back on Hyperion? After all your desperate attempts at making me want you?”

So this was how Jack wanted to play it. He wasn't getting what he wanted so he was throwing his toys out of his pram, even if it meant hurting Rhys.

 

As always, Rhys knew better.

 

He chose to turn around. Jack was leaning against the wall where Rhys had left him, glaring daggers across the room.

“You really want to go there, Jack?” he sniped, throwing a bottle of painkillers which exploded next to Jack's head. The man barely flinched. “You want me to get on my knees and submit to you after this all happening because you never had the balls to deal with your own goddamn emotions?

Jack clenched his fists. “Oh, I dealt with my emotions, pumpkin. I drowned my fucking sorrows in whiskey and real Hyperion sluts after what you did to me.”

Rhys’ heart began to pick up speed. He choked. “After...after what I did to _you?!”_

The Hyperion boss sneered and slammed his fist back against the wall before stalking up to Rhys. The younger man kept his ground as a hand grasped his cybernetic arm.

“Your _Vault_.”

“Your _denial_ ,” Rhys spat back, yanking his arm from Jack's hold, “is what got us here. That's what let Atlas grow. You're guilty of all of this.” Rhys gestured around and chuckled darkly. “ _You_ put me on this path! You let pride and fear and _stubbornness_ blind you and guess what? That's the real Handsome Jack. A scared, proud little man who hides behind a pompous, brave _mask_.” During his speech, Rhys had backed Jack into a corner. The Atlas man made a point of looking closely about the man's scarred face. “Not so much without it though, are you?”

Jack slammed his fist into Rhys’ stomach, winding him and sending him reeling to the floor. He then proceeded to step over him whilst he was gasping for breath but as he was just about to exit the room, a knife slammed into the wall just beside his head. Jack yanked it from the wall with ease and suddenly charged at Rhys, who was still struggling for air, and lifted him up with the knife pressed to his throat. Rhys grinned.

“You never could do it. What makes you think you're man enough now?”

They stood there like that for what felt like an age; the knife's edge pressing just a little too far into Rhys’ skin. It was painful, but Jack didn't go any further. They kept their eyes on one another, barely blinking and barely breathing.

“If I killed you now, your Atlas troops would make it their mission in life to end me.” Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose. “And I really don't need that kind of drama.”

“But I'd be gone, poof, out of your life and no longer here to make you weak and miserable.” Rhys pressed against the blade, feeling it begin to slice into his throat. “Just one little flick of the wrist, Jack. That's all it would take.”

Jack opened his eyes. He stepped back, leaving Rhys to rub at his neck, trying to stop the slight bleeding. The older man walked to the door once again, but stopped in the doorway and rested his hand against the frame.

“...I don't want you out of my life, Rhysie.” He looked back over his shoulder. “And that's where my problem lies, babe.”

With that, he left. Rhys couldn't quite manage to wrap his head around what he'd heard and went to lean on the counter next to him but, forgetting about his bad arm, toppled onto the floor in a heap. He stared into the space Jack had left behind at the door.

“If you come down to the lab, I'll see what I can do about that arm,” came from down the hallway. “Whatever you choose, that's where I'll be. Trying to figure out a way home.”

Rhys buried his head in his knees, emotion finally taking over where Jack couldn't see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think in comments. Kudos are beautiful and very much appreciated but comments are what make me sit down and truly want to write more and more. (^3^)
> 
> Peace out xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well kiddos, it's been a hell of a week. I'm a teacher and have just been on a trip away with my kids for four days; it was tiring to say the least. Yet here I am, returning with (in my opinion) the best chapter so far on this little adventure! 
> 
> This story is developing super well despite a severe lack of forethought beyond the original 'Jack and Rhys are CEOs and are gonna get stranded together' idea. This is mainly thanks to Erin whose ideas keep this story going when I run to Facebook messenger with '.....fuck. I'm stuck. Please help me.' Thanks girl!!!!!
> 
> :-)

Rhys had to toss up in the air whether going down to the lab would be a good idea or not. Eventually, curiosity and a stupid inability to keep away overcame him and he made his way to where Jack was trying to fix what looked like an old ECHO device.

“No matter what you do, the tech on that thing will never let you communicate with Hyperion.” Rhys stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame. “You're wasting your time.”

Jack smirked and tapped a short rhythm against the device before looking up at Rhys, who was clutching onto his robotic arm.

“Well, I can try and help with _that_ ,” Jack offered, pointing to his arm and then to a nearby workbench. “All the equipment you'd need to make some amendments is there.”

Rhys leaned on his tiptoes to see. “I wouldn't be able to fix the ECHOnet wiring. That's ruined and I'd have to wait 'til I get back to Atlas to sort that out. But I should be able to remedy the movement issues. It all depends on if you have…” He made his way over to the bench and ran a hand across the tools until he found what he was looking for.“ ...Good.” He looked to Jack. “I'm going to need you to help me when I detach it - it might...hurt.”

With a grin, Jack sat on the stool and beckoned Rhys over. “C'mere, Rhysie.”

Rhys chewed his lip and approached, stepping into the space Jack had made by parting his legs. Jack's voice grew low. “Won't be able to do nothing with that shirt on, cupcake.”

Knowing he was right, Rhys couldn't argue. But after their prior conversation, he really didn't know if doing that was the best idea. Trying to act as though it didn't actually phase him, he went to unbutton with his flesh hand but ended up just looking...dumb. Jack sighed, chuckled and gently slapped Rhys’ hand out of the way. Rhys sucked in a breath and stared at the ceiling as Jack undid his shirt. He closed his eyes when Jack decided that he would trace a slow finger down his sternum when he was done.

“I always wondered how far _down_ those tats went…”

“ _Stop,”_ hissed Rhys through his teeth.

Jack did, and tugged the shirt and jacket off. Rhys winced when it caught a bit on the join of his cybernetics and flesh. Jack noticed and moved more slowly until finally Rhys stood there, bare and more vulnerable than ever. He was sure he heard Jack mutter something under his breath but decided it probably wasn't a good idea to find out what he'd said, so remained quiet. Jack gripped his cybernetic arm.

“I'll take the weight of it, kiddo. You take your time in doing what you need to do.”

Nodding, Rhys took joy in being able to turn his complete attention to removing his arm. He touched along the join, finding tender spots that he knew would be a killer to detach. Jack watched every movement he made. Eventually, Rhys told himself to grow a pair and he unlocked the first join. He cursed loudly as searing pain shot into his shoulder.

“You can do it.”

He took a deep breath and managed another, tears welling up in his eyes.

“I can't...Jack, I can't...the wiring has all been…” He slumped but Jack grabbed him with his other hand and held him up.

“Just one more, Rhysie. One more. You want me to do it?”

Rhys shook his head and bit down on his lip hard. He yanked up the last clasp and the agony that overcame him was too much. He fell to to his knees on the cold, hard floor and heard the _thud_ of his arm being placed onto the workbench. Jack was then instantly at his side. He helped him up onto the stool and held his face in his hands.

“You're okay, you're okay. It's done.”

Rhys didn't know what to do. The pain, Jack being sweet and attentive...it was all a bit much again. He patted at Jack, telling him he was fine, but Jack held him until his breathing returned to normal. Rhys stood, trying to ignore Jack, but the man was right there over his shoulder.

“Do you need anything?”

“...Um. I need some of those red wires?” He pointed to his arm. Anything to get Jack to exit his space and give him room to breathe without him. Jack nodded. “I also need some metal plating. Even if you just took some of the panelling off of a wall somewhere...I can fashion it into shitty protection for the wirework and components.”

Jack's only response was a pat on the back before he upped and began his search. Rhys breathed slow to calm his heartbeat and found himself smiling slightly until he looked down at his arm. That made him frown. His beautiful Atlas prosthetic was decimated in parts: the main wires were frazzled and huge chunks were just...missing. He ran his flesh hand over it, hating how incomplete he felt without it. Cracking his neck, he sat on the stool and got to work.

 

Jack arrived a while later with what Rhys needed along with a coffee. Rhys peered at the cup.

“That better not be full of a sick joke,” he mused, soldering a piece of wire into place. Perching himself on the workbench, Jack watched him as he worked.

“Well, that is the _least_ you deserve but no. No poison. No “irritant”. Just coffee. Maybe even a peace offering.” He shrugged. “Who knows?”

Rhys chuckled and looked up at him. “You're going to apologise with coffee?”

“Me? Apologise? No no. I have to have you on side if I want to get off of this hellhole planet.”

Rhys sighed and went back to his work. Jack remained at his side, watching as he did so. Rhys managed to reattach the wiring and craft some really quite crude plating before sitting back and wiping the sweat from his forehead. His hair was truly out of place and he knew he looked a state; half-naked, armless, sweaty and scruffy. Not at all like the smooth, well-dressed and clean-cut CEO he always presented himself as. Beside him sat Jack, shirt open and no mask, scar bare and deep blue. He couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself about what a pair they must look. Jack nudged him with his knee.

“What's so funny?”

Rhys shook his head, cackling. “Imagine if our employees saw us now.”

“They'd be tripping over their dicks. Wouldn't be able to handle how hot we both look right now.”

Rhys froze for a moment before shaking off the comment. He placed the saw down and sat back, trying to admire his work.

“Well. It looks like shit.”

“No...no...looks uh... _vintage.”_

 _“Oh my god,”_ Rhys laughed, looking at Jack in disbelief. “I _wish_ it looked vintage. Good old Dahl-level _vintage_.”

Jack broke out into laughter too and there they sat, giggling like children, for a few brief moments.

“Okay okay,” Rhys announced finally, wiping tears from his eye. “Now help me reattach this hunk of junk.”

 

The two men arranged themselves in such a way that Rhys would only have to lean into Jack to lock back into the arm. Jack readied himself, holding the arm up.

“Ready when you are, babe.”

Rhys nodded and turned, lining up the two sockets. He bent, hooked himself in and screwed his eyes shut as the wires reconnected one by one. Each sent a tingle into his shoulder and up into his head, but it was nowhere near as painful as it had been. Eventually, the fusing had completed and he waited for the arm to power into life. His heart leapt as he felt the system switch on, his digits moving to his will.

“You really are a goddamn genius,” Jack admitted, looking impressed. Rhys shrugged.

“Basic robotics. Tell me, does your new Head of Robotics know how to do that or are they still at the phase of making simple robots do their dirty work? Because last I remember, Percy from Robotics was next in line for my job and _he_ sent a robot to Jackson to give him a wedgie when-”

A hand clamped over his mouth. Jack was behind him, face resting on his shoulder. He turned his head and suddenly his lips were against Rhys’ ear.

“Let's not talk about the past any more,” he murmured softly. “Let's talk about the path that lies ahead.”

“What...path...is that?” Rhys breathed, letting his eyes close despite his better judgement. There was an abrupt loss of warmth and contact as Jack pushed himself away to pace.

“Like how to get the hell off of this fucking hellhole _planet_ ! Weren't you listening before?! I do not want to _be here_.”

It took Rhys a second to collect himself after what had just happened, but when he did he span on the stool.

“And what exactly did you have in mind?”

Jack disappeared for a moment around to the other side of the lab. When he reappeared, he was carrying some large scrolls of paper.

“Maps?” Rhys guessed, to which Jack nodded and laid the papers down on an empty workbench next to Rhys’.

“They plot the entirety of Pandora. Found them whilst I was searching for things for your arm. Knew they'd be here somewhere.”

With that, Jack picked through the scrolls and chose one in particular, spreading it out flat on the surface. He and Rhys set objects in each corner to keep it straight before peering down at the black and white image before them.

“There's not very much on this map…” Rhys muttered, trailing a finger along a mountain pass. Jack shifted beside him.

“Look so…” He rubbed his neck. “We really are in a shit situation. No doubt that by now both our companies think we died in that blast. No one's gonna come looking for us here. We're on our own and we have to do _something_.”

“Get to the point, Jack.”

“Well...this map shows an area not far from here. About a day and a half’s hike.” Jack pressed a thumb and a forefinger into his scrunched eyes before opening them and taking a breath. “There's a secret Hyperion base in that pass.” He took Rhys’ hand and slid his finger all the way up to a blank spot on the map. “It's housing some serious information that...in the wrong hands…” He eyed Rhys. “...Could kill my company.”

Rhys took his hand back and folded his arms, his cybernetic arm creaking a little as he did so.

“And you think if you take me there...I'll do that? Kill Hyperion?”

Jack laughed. “...No? Maybe? Look it's taken a hell of a lot for me to even give you the location.”

Rhys raised an eyebrow. “Jack, I don't really give two _shits_ what Hyperion is doing.” He felt Jack still beside him as he leant back down to the map, noting the coordinates. “Atlas has no reason to worry about the competition because really, there is none round here.”

A splayed hand landed on the map next to Rhys’ face.

“That attitude's gonna get you in big, _big_ trouble one day, sunshine.” Jack's voice was wavering as he spoke, causing a smirk to play on Rhys’ lips.

“It's not an attitude,” he replied, biting on the inside of his cheeks to stifle his laughter. He stood from the map and faced Jack. “It's just facts.”

He couldn't hold it together any longer and slapped Jack on the chest as he cackled.

“You should see your face! For a minute there I bet it was like seeing yourself in the _mirror_!” This caused Rhys to wheeze all the more as Jack simply stood there glaring at him. “Remember….remember back a few years ago when you thought Hyperion could never be trumped and then I just…” Rhys imitated an explosion with his hands as tears rolled down his cheeks. Even he didn't know what had come over him. “Boom! Atlas!! Highest weapon sales in the galaxy! Best CEO award three years running! Stock prices through the roof!”

“Do you want a fucking medal?” Jack snapped, arms crossed.

“I don't...need anything...from Hyperion,” he gasped, now clutching his sides. “With the variation in our stock prices, that much is _obvious.”_

 _“_ Oh my _god_ , shut _up_ you fucking _nerd.”_ Jack snatched the map, rolled it up and smacked Rhys on the side of the head. “We have work to do.”

Jack stalked out then, leaving Rhys crying with laughter against the workbench.

 

When Rhys had finally composed himself, he found Jack in a closet, ass sticking out a mile as he rummaged around. Rhys decided to wait for him to be done for no other reason than to be polite. Of course. Eventually Jack rocked back onto his haunches and spied Rhys leaning against the nearby wall, lip quirked up into a smile.

“Are you done being a dick?”

Rhys nodded and offered back a shit-eating grin. “For now.”

“Good. Then you can help me prepare. If we leave in the next few hours, we can make it to the facility just before nightfall.”

“You expect me to trek a full day and a half without sleep?”

“No, _idiot_ . We will find a cave and rest at some point so you can get your _beauty sleep_ you fucking precious _flower_.”

Rhys huffed a laugh and looked to the dull grey ceiling.

“Tell me what you need me to do.”

Jack sat back on his ass and seemed to fall into deep thought. “I've found some spare ammo and guns. Seeing as you left my _brand_ _new_ Hyperion gun out in the desert.” He shot Rhys a look. Rhys held his hands up. “But you were saving my life so, s'no biggie. Anyways. New clothes would be killer. I don't think any Pandoran in their right mind would take us seriously when I'm like this and you're...like that.” Jack waved a hand at Rhys’ bare chest. “We also need food and water and bags to carry that in. There's a kitchen down the hall.” Jack grinned. “You got all that, kitten?”

 

Rhys searched everywhere for clothing. It wasn't like this was a shopping mall; it was a disgustingly outdated Hyperion outpost. Eventually, in an old janitorial room, Rhys found two reasonably sized pairs of overalls, khaki in colour. He also, by the gods’ graces, found some tattered t-shirts that didn't stink when he begrudgingly held them up for a sniff test. In a locker, he even found a pair of worn, red high-top sneakers that just about fit his feet. No man in his right mind would scuff Rhys’ premium boots across Pandoran soil for more than a few hours. He would keep them in this bunker until he could come and retrieve them. Just as he was about to leave, he opened one final locker and gasped with joy when he realised he'd hit the jackpot. He grinned widely as he unzipped the gym bag.

 

Jack wandered through the lab towards the kitchen, wondering if Rhys had managed to do his part. He heard things banging about, like doors and pot, so he knew he'd find Rhys in there somewhere. Opening the door, his breath caught in his throat. Rhys was bent over at the hips, picking through a low cupboard. Jack swallowed. The younger man was dressed in a white tee that rode up when he bent and blue gym shorts so short they were criminal. He wore red sneakers to top it all off, with little white socks peeking over the tops. Jack's jaw dropped. Rhys finished his hunt and stood, brushing dust of a can he'd found. He squeaked when he caught a glimpse of Jack from the corner of his eye and dropped the can. It rolled across the floor and Jack just about managed to centre himself in time to halt it with his foot. He continued to stare at Rhys.

“What?” Rhys asked, brushing a strand of hair back from his forehead. “Never seen someone in gym clothes before?”

Jack picked up the can and approached, placing it on the side with the other food. He glanced at Rhys.

“Not someone in shorts like _that_ ,” he muttered, reading a label on another tin. “Fucking _hell_.”

Rhys reached in front of Jack to grab some cans. He began placing them in a brown knapsack.

“It's going to be hot out there. Plus, the only other thing I found was a janitor's outfit and some old tees. You take your pick.”

Jack tore his eyes from Rhys and moved to the pile of clothes on the counter (neatly folded, what the hell Atlas?). He picked up a shirt, which was far too small, and tossed it aside. Another was underneath, which seemed alright when he held it up to his chest. It had Moxxi's branding on it which made him smirk. Two long legs adorned with fishnets and high heels. Jack looked to Rhys as the younger man pottered around the kitchen packing food and water. Shamefully, even to himself, Jack ensured Rhys was facing his direction before he yanked off his old shirt, revealing his large, bare chest and broad shoulders. Something heavy clunked to the floor on the other side of the room, making Jack chuckle under his breath. He made an effort to stretch massively before tugging the shirt on, side-eyeing Rhys who was now bright pink and dashing for more supplies. Jack looked back at the overalls. Now, he didn't need pants but a jacket… A pair of kitchen scissors caught his eye and he beamed.

 

He had time to make some small adjustments.

 

Rhys finished dumping the two bags by the entrance door and wiped his sweaty hands on his shorts. He had fulfilled his part of the plan. Now he just had to wait on-

“Ready to go, cupcake?” Jack's voice echoed down the hallway and Rhys looked up. Where had Jack found those sunglasses? And had he reworked the janitor's overalls into a jacket? Rhys bent down and pulled on his backpack just as the Hyperion CEO arrived beside him and tossed down his own bag. From it, he pulled a shotgun and a semi-automatic. Both Hyperion issue, of course.

“Choose your poison, Rhysie. What'll it be? Distant? Detached?” Jack stepped closer until he was a breath away. He waggled the shotgun but Rhys wasn't looking at the damn weapon. “Or up close and personal?”

He snatched the shotgun and leant in, his turn to press his lips against Jack's ear. “You know I like up close and personal, pumpkin.”

Jack could have melted then and there. He thanked the heavens he was in tight pants so his reaction to Rhys wasn't so obvious. Plus, Rhys’ use of Jack's nickname sent shivers down his spine that went straight to his dick too. Rhys pulled back but Jack wrapped his fingers in that little white shirt, tugging him forward so their noses were touching.

“Your ass ain't gonna last long in those shorts if you keep that shit up.”

Rhys snickered. “Just paying it back. And come on, Jack.” He tilted his head. “You don't want to be the first to break, do you?”

Jack was about to retort something when a sound made them both stand straight. Beyond the door, it was clear that the bandits were waiting them out. Jack coughed and looked at his rifle.

“You uh, happy with your pistol and your shotgun?” he asked, voice rough. “Make sure you reload the little one.” He tossed Rhys spare ammunition and Rhys swiftly did as he was told. Meanwhile, Jack slung his own backpack over his shoulder.

“Did you add the camp equipment I left-”

“Yes,” Rhys replied in a rush, buzzing to just get outside and move the mood on. He finished reloading his pistol and replaced it into its holster. He looked to Jack as he waved his hand over the exit button. Jack nodded. The door beeped and swung wide open.

 

*

 

 _Fiona gasped as she and Rhys stepped into the glowing entrance of the Vault. He held her hand tightly - telling her that it was okay and he was here - but actually_ he _was probably the one in need of holding. As they advanced into the Vault, it became so suddenly bright that Rhys had to throw his other arm up to shield his eyes._

_“Hello, Rhys,” came an ethereal voice. He jumped. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once._

_“Did you hear that?” Fiona whispered, clutching onto him now. He clutched back and nodded slowly. Was the Vault...speaking to him? His question was answered when a being, the likes of which he had never seen, materialised before them. It was white, barely existing in its paleness. Long fingers and limbs, with floating hair and jet-black eyes._

_“Are you-”_

_“Yes I'm seeing it,” Rhys hissed at Fiona, barely able to comprehend what he_ was _seeing. The being floated closer and looked to Fiona._

_“Hello, Fiona.”_

_“How do you...know our names?” the woman asked, bravery seeming to sink into her. The creature smiled._

_“I know many things. I see the past, the present and the future. However, of the three, the future is the one I enjoy exploring the most. It is always changeable.”_

_“Who are you?” Rhys asked, words catching in his throat._

_“I am the Guardian of this realm. Your key has given you direct access to me and given me direct access to you.”_

_Something in the being's tone shifted as they spoke their last few words. It made the hairs on the back of Rhys’ neck stand on end._

_“Rhys, I have been watching over you,” it announced, eyes trained on what felt like his very soul. “I know you seek great things. You will achieve great things. Yet what you wish for most…” A silvery white hand reached out towards him and eerie fingertips brushed his cheek. “...is vengeance.”_

_“Jack,” Fiona breathed. The creature nodded._

_“Revenge is a sickness, dear boy. It will eat at you and rot you to the core. You must forgive and move on. Jack is not your enemy.”_

_“...Then who is my enemy?”_

_The creature blinked. “I cannot tell you of the future. Only of the past and present. What I can do is lead you to greatness, Rhys. But there is a price.”_

_Suddenly, Fiona grabbed his head and yanked it around so she could stare into Rhys’ eyes. Her own were filled with fear._

_“Do not bargain with a Vault creature. We've come here. We've seen it. We do not need to pay a “price”. There's nothing for you here.”_

_“Fiona-stop. Fiona!” He got his head free and looked at the creature. “What's the price?”_

_The being was quiet for a moment. “A simple symbol for you to carry with you.” It was suddenly incredibly close. “Until the time is right.”_

_“And what time is_ that _?_

_The light in the Vault dimmed and warped into a deep, angry red. The being adopted similar colours and it's eyes burned._

_“When justice will be served to those who deserve it most.”_

_Rhys was confused. “But what you said about vengeance…”_

_“Was from_ experience _,” it snarled, long hands curling into fists. “One day, you will help me exact my revenge. In return I can promise you no harm will come to you or your loved ones.”_

_Fiona was pulling at his sleeve and arm but Rhys ignored her._

_“And how exactly will this bring me greatness?”_

_Light began returning to the Vault. The creature gestured at their surroundings. “Eridium. I have a direct link to the great power and can give that link to you.” Something stirred inside of Rhys. “In times gone by, Atlas carried the world on its shoulders but it crippled under the weight. In your story…” The being drifted down and took his hand. It was oddly warm and calming, but at the same time a feeling of sorrow washed over Rhys. “In your story, Rhys, Atlas can hold up not only Pandora but the entire_ universe _.”_

_“Atlas,” he murmured, tasting the word in his mouth for what felt like the first time. After everything...the Gortys project...his experience with the old Atlas corporation over the past months, could he really? Could he really become….?_

_“Rhys,” Fiona begged, tugging at him but failing. He seemed locked in place._

_“No,” he replied, a grin curling onto his lips. He looked back at her and she drank in the look in his eyes. “It's Atlas now.”_

_“I'll take that as a deal,” came the voice of the creature. A hot pain dashed up his cybernetic arm, across his neck and chest and into his left shoulder. He yelped and let go of Fiona, robotic hand darting to the pain as it twisted there. He fought to wrench off his shirt, ending up tearing off the sleeve, and watched a blue Eridian symbol snake its way into his tattoo design. It glowed for a moment before fading until barely visible amongst his original ink._

_“It is done. Our work to rebuild Atlas begins at once. Are you ready, Rhys?”_

_Beside him, Fiona was muttering about making deals with devils and how he had made a grave mistake trusting a Vault creature. But Rhys simply kept eye contact with the being and smiled. It smiled back._

_“I've never been more ready for anything.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!!! Your comments so far have been beautiful. Thank you xxx


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *rubs hands* here comes the good kush

Jack blew over the top of his revolver dramatically and wiggled his eyebrows at Rhys who simply rolled his eyes back. Jack had just downed the final bandit after a fierce fight which had left Rhys with grazed knees and Jack with a splatter of bandit blood across his jacket. Other than that, they were unscathed. The two men had, together, taken out dozens of bandits and their collaboration had been pristine. It was as though they'd trained together for years and were performing a choreographed routine.

“We make quite a team,” Rhys mused happily, reloading his shotgun.

Jack only chuckled under his breath and placed his hand over his eyes, gazing over the ridge upon which they'd both found themselves after the confrontation. He pointed to the north west, where a gargantuan rock jutted up and jarred the horizon.

“We need to get down there. Once we hit that we can check the map again.”

Rhys slung the shotgun over his shoulder and placed his hand on his hip. “Sounds like a plan.”

Jack took in the vision of Rhys then; the young man's hair caught the wind and the sunlight hit his face in such a way that he appeared almost ethereal. He didn't notice Jack -  he was too busy looking to the distance.

"Well?" he asked suddenly, causing Jack to jump out of his skin and hurriedly glance away. "Are you going to lead the way or not, Mr. Hyperion?"

Silently, Jack cut a path down the side of the ridge, occasionally glancing over at Rhys who picked his way down behind him. With his dirtied knees and little shorts, it was difficult for Jack not to.

They barely spoke as they walked, eyes either on the ground or on the horizon. Neither knew what to say, or how to say it. Hours passed and Rhys finally coughed to get Jack's attention.

"How's Angel?" he asked softly, kicking a stone across the dirt. Having worked so closely with Jack back on Helios, the man had brought up his daughter a couple of times along the way. When Rhys had been at Hyperion, she had been thirteen and had recently been born a Siren. It had been a huge deal for Jack at the time and had caused him an incredible amount of stress and nerves. In the present, Jack rolled his shoulders.

"She's in training with another Siren named Maya at a sacred temple on Pandora. She's nearly eighteen now, you know? Beautiful too. Just like her mother."

Rhys smiled as he recalled past memories. "Is she still giving you grief?"

At this, Jack laughed loudly. "She's a teenager, what do you think? Her main mission in life is to give me a daily heart attack and a reason to yell at her." A moment of silence passed and they clambered over a large boulder in their path. "She asked after you when I told her I was attending the meeting we were supposed to have."

Rhys tripped as he climbed off the boulder. A strangled, fearful sound escaped his throat but he thankfully landed in Jack's arms. He looked up into Jack's face and raised an eyebrow.

"Why would she ask about me?"

Jack smiled. "Because she knew exactly what was on my mind before I got into that shuttle back on Helios. That girl and I talk about everything." He looked down at Rhys, who was still gathered up against him. "She knows about everything."

 

*

 

_When a letter arrived in Jack's emails asking him to attend a meeting with the Atlas CEO, he immediately called his daughter._

_"He wants to show off what he's done without you," she said, painting her fingernails an electric blue. Jack watched as she poked her tongue out in concentration._

_"So why should I give him the pleasure of a yes?" he growled, closing his eyes. The last thing he wanted was for Rhys to get the better of him. "He doesn't deserve it."_

_"Maybe not," Angel mused. "But you know it'll eat you up if you palm off the opportunity to see him again."_

_He opened his eyes. "Angel-"_

_"What?" The girl held her hands up. "I'm just saying. You know it's true. You_ want _to see him, Dad." Jack frowned but remained quiet. His daughter smirked. "Just go out for a drink with him. He's eager to show you what he's built off of what happened between you two." She waggled the nail polish brush at the camera. "Whatever happens, you can use this opportunity to gather intel on your opposition. It's a way in. No good CEO would deny this opportunity for a foot up."_

_He sometimes hated that she was more intelligent than him, and with her Siren powers she was far more powerful too. He smiled at his gorgeous girl, so full of life and energy. She was a portrait of everything good he was and had ever been. She had adopted what was kind and just in his heart and multiplied in ten fold. He was so proud._

_"You're right, as always," he chuckled, laying back down on his bed. She beamed widely at him as she replaced the lid on her polish bottle._

_"Wear your best outfit and most alluring cologne. Do your hair in that way it was for the Winter Ball." Angel picked up her ECHO and brought it up to her face. A hint of mischief danced across her features. "Remind him who he's dealing with."_

 

*

 

_Jack straightened his suit jacket and shirt as the Hyperion shuttle hissed to a stop on the Atlas landing pad. Twenty armed guards were visible through the windows, all with their hands poised ready to grab and shoot should Jack make a single wrong move. But they needn't have bothered. Jack wasn't here to cause trouble (well, maybe a little); he was here out of curiosity. That's what he'd been telling himself anyway. Rhys had no power over him. He was nothing to Jack but potential competition. Yet, when the shuttle door opened and he was greeted by an immensely impressive Atlas headquarters building, he swallowed around a lump in his throat. He wasn't ready to see Rhys. Not yet. But turning around and heading back…that would be weak. He would hate himself. So instead, he allowed an Atlas guard to lead him through a maze of hallways until they arrived at a huge set of doors. A girl at the desk beside them spoke softly into a microphone to announce his arrival and the doors slid open slowly. Jack walked in, the doors shutting behind him and leaving him standing alone. The only other person in the room was by the window, arms behind his back._

_"Rhys."_

_"Jack."_

_Rhys turned, eyeing the man at the door. Jack took him in, drinking down the clothing, the hair and the unreadable expression on the man's face. He was dressed in sleek black, with hints of orange and silver here and there. His hair was longer and his eye was golden, no longer blue and piercing. He wore 'CEO' with class and integrity; Jack hated that he did it so well._

_"You came," the younger man said, moving forward. Jack stayed glued to the spot. "I'm a little surprised."_

_"What, you think I'd pass up the opportunity to see how much you were failing without me?" Jack laughed, gesturing around. "I'm not dissatisfied. This place is a shithole."_

_Rhys smirked before moving to a drinks cabinet beside his desk. He poured a golden liquid into two tumblers and offered one out to Jack. Hesitantly, the Hyperion CEO moved across the room and took what was presented to him. He peered into the glass._

_"It's not poisoned," Rhys announced, taking a sip of his own to prove it. "It's your favourite."_

_With a hum of approval, Jack drank. The whiskey slid down beautifully, leaving a satisfying burn in its wake. Beside him, Rhys sat on the edge of his desk and swirled the liquid in his glass._

_"I see you got the arm fixed," Jack said, pointing. He'd noticed the sleek silver arm as soon as he'd stepped in the room. He snorted. "Looks even better now. Guess I did you a favour."_

_Rhys only huffed a laugh and flexed his cybernetic digits._

_"How's Hyperion?" he asked, sounding genuinely interested. Jack waltzed around the desk and settled into Rhys' black and red chair, kicking his feet up and prodding Rhys in the back with the toe of his boot._

_"It's a hell of a lot quieter without your bitchin'."_

_Rhys smiled. "That bad, huh?"_

_Shifting in the seat to get more comfortable, Jack sighed. "Why the hell am I here?"_

_Rhys rose from the desk and moved across the room, placing distance between them. He tapped his glass before taking another sip._

_"I don't want us to hate one another." He span and locked eyes with the man in his chair. "I'm here to stay, Jack. I'm on the cusp of everything I ever dreamed of and...shit...so much more." Suddenly, his face turned dark. Jack felt his entire body tingle. "I won't let you take that away from me."_

_The Hyperion CEO took another sip. "I can't make any promises, babe. You're just another pawn in my game now."_

_Rhys rolled his eyes back and laughed, low and dangerous._

_"Oh, and I wasn't before? Everyone's a pawn to you. That's why you can't face your emotions. Because, to you, letting a pawn in is just as bad as letting a time bomb get strapped to your chest. Right?" A crunch. The glass in Rhys' silver hand crumbled to the floor. Jack stood._

_"Did you call me down here just to moan at me? Because that's so fucking weak and childish."_

_Rhys took a moment and a breath. He closed his eyes and let his shoulders rise and fall._

_"No. I didn't. I want us to be on good terms. It will do us both good to have one another's backs rather than be at each other's throats all the time like the other companies are." He opened his eyes and a shiver darted down Jack's back to see the fire burning in them. "We work exceptionally well together."_

_"Are you suggesting a goddamn_ merger _?!" Jack was almost sick in his mouth at the idea. The Atlas man's eyes blew wide._

 _"Oh my god, no. I am_ not _suggesting that at all. Simply put, I'm requesting that we respect one another and the quality products and resources we bring to Pandora. Any issues arise that affect us both, we have each other's backs._ That's _what I'm suggesting."_

_"...Hyperion doesn't need your stupid company's help."_

_"No, it doesn't. Not right now. But what about when someone like Torgue injects snakes into both our veins? We come back with two times the numbers he's expecting. We train our troops together to be unstoppable."_

_Jack sat up in the chair and stood, placing his hands on the desk. "...Why? You have a Vault of Eridium. Why do you need me in any capacity?"_

_Rhys approached the other side of the desk and leant in, smiling. "I'd rather have you beside me than stabbing me in the back. I'm sure you'd like the same. Because with a blade as powerful as mine, you'll need it in your arsenal when the time comes and not in your spine."_

_Jack snorted again. "As powerful as yours? You've been at this game what, a year? I've been in this for way more than that, cupcake. I know what I'm doing."_

_Shrugging, Rhys poured himself another drink in a new glass. He gulped it down in one. "Just think about it. Better to be allies than enemies."_

_"You became my enemy the moment you betrayed me," Jack snapped, despite knowing full well that the only real reason Rhys was here, as this successful CEO, was because_ he _had put him there._

 _"I've never been your enemy, Jack." Rhys was around the side of the desk now, eye to eye with him. "You forget that I could take Hyperion down in an instant with my hacking abilities but I haven't. And I_ won't."

_Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek. Could he really trust Atlas? What would Hyperion have to say about an alliance with this new competition? He thought back to what Angel had said: the closer he got, the more he would learn. The more he learned, the more of an upper hand he had. He stepped into Rhys' space._

_"I'm not training my troops with yours. And I'm not signing no dotted line, Atlas. But if the time comes and we both need to fight a common enemy...we can do it together." Jack placed both hands on Rhys' shoulders and clamped down hard. "But you ever cross me or threaten my company...I'll rip your other goddamn arm off and stuff it down your throat."_

_A grin erupted on the younger man's face and he stuck his cybernetic hand between them, wiggling his fingers._

_"Deal."_

_Jack eyed the hand and slowly met it with his own._

_"...Deal." As he shook, he yanked Rhys close, mouth brushing past his ear. "Don't fuck this up or I promise you'll regret it."_

_"Same goes for you," Rhys purred before shoving him away and wiping his mouth against the back of his flesh hand. He poured more alcohol into both glasses and held his own up high. "Here's to partnerships that just about hold up in spite of mutual disgust and merciless dick measuring through weapon manufacturing."_

_Unable to stop himself from laughing at Rhys' comment, Jack clunked his glass against that of the Atlas CEO._

_"Here's to the fact that mine will_ always _be bigger."_

_Over the rim of his glass, Rhys gave Jack a once-over and let out a short, half-suppressed chuckle._

_"Well, that'll just have to be seen to be believed." Jack caught a bit of whiskey in his throat and coughed. Joy poured out of Rhys' face at this. "I'm looking forward to seeing if your future production line proves you right."_

_"Oh it will, pumpkin," Jack replied hoarsely, his throat reeling from the burning liquor. "Don't you worry about that."_

 

_*_

 

_He was wrong, of course. Atlas literally outgunned Hyperion within six months. Within the year, they were the highest ranking weapons dealer on Pandora and, after the major coup that enabled all of the companies on Pandora to work together on off-world trading, Atlas really was the top dog. Jack hated seeing Rhys champion him but simultaneously he admired and respected the man for doing it all so damn well. He was filled with finesse and grace; the opposite of all the rest of them. He took no shit and was sometimes more of a badass than even Jack himself, which of course Jack never admitted to anyone but Angel._

_"How was the meeting?" Angel asked, face scrunched up and Siren tattoos glowing as she practised her abilities. Jack flopped onto his couch and stretched massively, holding the ECHO out in front of him._

_"It was alright. The other CEO pricks all had their own opinions about, god,_ everything _, but we got there in the end. Stupid, selfish agendas were disregarded in most cases."_

_"What about Rhys?"_

_Jack closed his eyes. "He was, of course, perfect in his idiot way. Lead the meeting pretty much."_

_Angel released all of her energy with a roar and Jack grinned, opening an eye to see her demolish an entire boulder.  Heavily breathing, she picked up the ECHO._

_"How did he look?"_

_Jack thought back, remembering how he'd lost himself in watching Rhys take charge. How he'd been so goddamn pretty in the dim light of the bunker._

_"....Beautiful, as always."_

_Angel smiled at her father before poking out her tongue. There was a sound beyond what Jack could see. She glanced over her shoulder._

_"Maya's calling me. I think Lilith just arrived so I have to go and say hi. Will you promise me you'll just call him? You even told me he wanted to go for a business dinner."_

_"Yeah yeah, I'll call. Love you, baby girl. Stay safe."_

_"Love you too, pops. Stay emotionally constipated!"_

_Affronted, Jack opened his mouth to bark back at her but she'd already ended the call. He sighed and sank deeper into the couch cushions._

 

_He should call Rhys back. He knew he should because...business...and formalities...and a reason to see him again…_

 

_He, of course, never did._

 

_Emotionally constipated had been one way of putting it._

 

*

 

_When Jack had left his office the first time he had visited, Rhys had collapsed in his chair and buried his head in his hands. It had taken every part of him not to just throw aside everything he had worked for and fought for and kiss the breath out of that good-for-nothing, selfish, pompous, imbecilic Hyperion asshole. Why he still felt like that, he had no idea. There was this...hold that Jack had over him that he was very sure Jack didn't even know he had. Rhys groaned and tightly clutched at the arms of his chair. His silver hand ran over his chest as his organic hand ghosted over his belt. The fire in his gut was too much and he hated himself as his fingers unhooked the belt buckle. What good was this?_

 

_He'd be sure to wipe this one from his memory files...in case someone ever got inside his head._

 

_*_

 

Rhys swallowed hard. "And...what was on your mind...as you left Helios?"

Jack helped him back to his feet. His face morphed before Rhys' eyes, going from warm and open to cold and distant. He walked away.

"How excited I was to see how difficult CEO life was for you. Annoyingly, you just picked it up easy because you're an asshole, so that was disappointing to say the least. Anyway, I-"

Rhys had had enough. He stalked up to Jack and kicked him in the back of his knees, forcing the man to drop down hard onto the dirt.

"Excuse me? Hello? What the _fuck_?" Jack hissed, wincing in pain at the small rocks digging into his kneecaps. Rhys ignored him and rounded him, glaring through squinted eyes.

"Don't you dare move, you piece of shit." He pointed his shotgun directly at Jack's head. The older man groaned and continued to stare at the ground.

"You're gonna choose this exact moment, here in the middle of the desert, to finally off me? And end up all alone? Not knowing where to go?"

Silence followed. Jack finally breathed out and dragged his eyes up until he reached Rhys' face. It was as he took in the expression on it that he wished he were still staring at the dirt. Or in the dirt. Six feet under. The pain and hurt in Rhys' eyes was so severe that Jack couldn't muster the words to fix it. His chest ached at the sight, which was foolish and weak, but he couldn't help it. He shouldn't want to fix Rhys but he did. It was the same Rhys that had shoved him about in his office. The same Rhys who had told him he had one chance or he'd regret it. The same Rhys he'd been goddamn in love with since his genius mind had saved Hyperion from certain death.

"For once in your life," Rhys managed, eyes glazing over. "Can you just be fucking honest with me? You are the best showman around and you can convince anyone of anything but not me. I've never been skewed by you. I'm sick and tired of you fighting this." He gestured between them with the shotgun but kept it aimed at Jack. A tear spilt out over Rhys' cheek. "Swallow your pride and just tell me the _truth._ "

It was as though someone had draped a dark curtain over Jack's brain. He was trying to make sense of what was happening. Trying to piece together what was being asked of him. A breathy sob and a shuffling of feet brought him out of his own head. He launched out and snatched Rhys' wrist in his hand as the young man walked away.

"It was you," Jack breathed. Rhys stayed where he was, staring into the distance. He tightened his grip. "Is _that_ what you want to hear? _You_ were on my mind. Just you." Jack bit down on his lip. "I wanted...I _had_ to see you. You are all I _ever_ want to see. I couldn't...I...I...only come to these dumbass meetings because...because it's an excuse to…to see...oh, _fuck."_

Jack had said way too much. For the first time in all his living memory, his mouth had gotten the better of him and he'd just let it run. And run. Rhys had taken it all, blasted by this truth bomb that basically ripped Jack into tiny fragments of a man right before him. At least, that's how Jack felt. Rhys pulled his hand away and stumbled back, letting the shotgun fall to his side.

"Oh," was all he said before he turned and made a beeline for the enormous rock that stood as their waypoint, leaving Jack to clamber to his feet and begin to tremble. What the hell would happen now? He went to call out after Rhys, but found his voice uncooperative (oh _now_ it was uncooperative) and instead just raced after him.

"Rhys, please say something," he fumbled as he caught up to the man. Rhys just kept walking, his jaw set. "It's killing me that you're just…" Jack gestured at him. Rhys gained speed. "C'mon babe, _please_ . Say something. _Anything."_

"You want me to say something?" the younger man snapped suddenly, stopping abruptly. He jabbed Jack hard in the chest with his shotgun. "Is it _killing_ you, Jack? That I'm not responding how you'd expect? Or how you'd want? Does it _hurt_ that you know I feel the same except I just pushed you away anyway?" Tears of anguish were freely flowing now and it was weird and painful for Jack to see. This incredible CEO was in pieces and it was all Jack's fault. "Why? _Why_ did you push me away back on Hyperion?"

Jack dropped his hands to his sides and looked fixedly at the ground.

"Because you were too fantastic to...you know...I'm not...I'm no good...for all that crap."

Rhys pursed his lips. "...All _what_ crap?"

It was now that Jack really had said too much. He wanted to take Rhys shotgun and just end himself. He had never felt more vulnerable - out in the desert of Pandora, maskless, having his emotions torn out of him. He opened his mouth...and then slammed it straight back shut again. Rhys scoffed and stormed off in the direction they needed to go and Jack, like some wounded puppy, followed shortly behind with his tail between his legs.

 

Hours passed and neither spoke. Mouths opened and closed, desperate for words to pass through, but none ever did. Jack replayed Rhys' question over and over in his head, trying to work out what he really had meant. He was going mad, his chest hurting and his mind manic. A cave loomed around the corner and Rhys stomped in, not caring to ask Jack if this was the place they were supposed to be stopping to sleep. Jack knew it was too early to be stopping but he wasn't really in a position to argue with Rhys. The sun still raged overhead outside, but inside the depths of the cave it was cool. Jack, however, burned inside. He watched Rhys begin to set up camp and it was all becoming too much. The man before him was everything he'd ever wanted and more. Had he really been so stupid to deny himself of Rhys because he had been too _scared_? Thoughts buzzed in his brain so fast he couldn't keep up until finally, finally he snapped.

"God, I was a fucking idiot," he exhumed. They were the first words either had spoken in a very long time. Rhys paled as he looked up from the fire he had started.

"...I'm sorry?"

Jack shook his head; it was pounding something awful.

"I couldn't risk...I couldn't bear the thought of losing your skills and talents if I...if I fucked us up."

Rhys dropped back onto his ass next to the fire and blinked up at Jack.

"...Us?"

Jack began to pace. "Well, it all started with me just finding you insanely hot. Because...I mean...look at you. You are a _tight_ piece of ass. I liked having you around because it got me all riled up; you were a damn gorgeous sight to see every day. At first, I didn't  mind not having you all to myself because..." He shrugged. "...You were helping me stay ahead."

He crossed the cave and dropped to Rhys' side. The young man leaned away slightly.

"But then...fuck...your _fire_ and _mind_ and _drive..._ You weren't afraid to put me in my place. No one... _no one_ ...ever...has ever…except _you_ Rhys. I couldn't handle the idea that if I messed up and got too close...I'd push you away and never get to be around you. You're magnetic. You're fucking beautiful and too damn good for a prick like me. Ironically, I stayed away and look where we are. I'm obviously an even bigger prick than I originally thought."

Rhys was clearly processing everything he'd heard. Jack sat back on his knees and closed his eyes, wishing that the ground would swallow him whole. The sound of the crackling flames was all too tempting. One bound and he'd be in pain for what, a few minutes? Then the sweet release of death would-

"Prove it."

Jack opened his eyes and focused. Rhys was opposite him now, his knees aligned with Jack's.

"...Huh?"

"Prove you feel about me the way you just said."

"I thought I just-"

All of a sudden, Rhys snatched the lapels of his jacket and shook him vigorously.

"You dense, _dense_ motherfucker," Rhys growled, shoving him hard. "I want you to prove to me that, despite all the stupid lies and pretences and _pride_ , you _care_ about me."

A beat of silence. They stared at each other, shoulders rising and falling with their heavy breaths.

"Get up," Jack urged, grabbing Rhys by the shoulders. "Get up, get _up._ "

Rhys did as he was told.

As soon as he was upright,  Jack grabbed him by his shirt and crowded him up against the cave wall.

"You want _proof_ , huh Rhysie? You want me to show you that I _care?_ " He held him by the throat, resting his nose against Rhys' ear. "Baby, I've been dying to do that for _years_."

Rhys' knees weakened as Jack slowly dragged his face round so that they were millimetres apart. Hand still wrapped around his throat, Jack's eyes dropped to Rhys' mouth. He loosened his grip on the younger man's neck to run his thumb across his lips, noting the wetness there that he just wanted...to...

"Shit, Rhys…" he muttered, hand sliding behind his neck and pulling him forwards so their lips were ghosting over one another. Rhys had been watching him the entire time but now his eyelids fluttered closed and Jack's heart hammered. Which one of them would be the first to-

"I wanna swing from your eye sockets!!!! I'll eat your brains and shit them out!!"

"Oh, what the _fuck_ ," Jack roared, turning and yanking out his rifle. Rhys already had his shotgun poised. Two psychos were dancing at the cave's entrance, pointing at them erratically and waving their guns in their air.

"Sexy sexy _sexy_!!!" yelled one and Rhys snorted. Jack looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Rhys just shrugged and smirked.

"Please don't encourage the bandits, babe," Jack grumbled, spinning and shooting the two psychos until they were bullet-ridden corpses on the ground. He moved to peer out of the cave. Everything was silent and clear. When he turned back, Rhys was leaning against the cave wall and watching him with a small smile on his face.

"My _hero_."

"You're goddamn right," Jack replied, voice low and wanting. He stalked across the cave floor, not tearing his eyes from Rhys for even a second. He wasn't going to let anything stop him now. Not bandits or his emotions or fear or _anything._

 

He was just about done with all that bullshit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rubs hands harder* TOLD YOU IT WAS COMING 
> 
> (next chapter... Huehuehuehue)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holy balls. This is a long ol' chapter. Wouldn't be up on here if not for Erin (my main gal) who betas for me. Also shout out to the Rhack discord chat for being SO BEAUTIFUL AND KIND about my writing. Honestly, it's made my entire freaking year. 
> 
> Feel free to join us on discord.gg/MG8XFa !!! Everyone is super sweet :-) 
> 
> ON WITH THE SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW:

It felt like an eternity crossing that damn cave and when he eventually reached Rhys, he didn't waste a second in grabbing his face and pulling him in, finally pressing their mouths together. He felt Rhys freeze up, with his hands hovering over Jack's shoulders, but as soon as Jack slid his tongue between Rhys' lips the younger man clamped his hands down hard. Extremely hard; painful, even. Jack winced a little but chuckled into the kiss. Was _this_ the way Atlas wanted to play it? He slowly slid his hands down to Rhys' hips and made a point to dig his nails deep into the jutting bones. Rhys groaned and sucked in a breath. He pushed back against Jack, hands moving to his shirt and curling tightly into the material there. Their tongues collided and it soon became a very obvious battle for dominance that Rhys had clearly decided Jack wouldn’t be winning.  Using his grip on the older man's shirt, he yanked him and span them around. He shoved Jack against the cave wall and dove at his neck with his mouth.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Jack murmured, grinding his body against Rhys’. Jack’s utterance seemed to spur Rhys on and he moved back to Jack’s mouth, kissing him again. Rhys was tense against him and Jack couldn't understand it. They were here now, Atlas could relax. It made Jack want to touch every bit of the CEO before him - draw out the beast he knew lurked within - but his hands couldn't settle on a single spot. They were in his hair, on his hips, squeezing his ass…

"Is this the kind of proof you were after?" Jack growled into his mouth, using his grip on Rhys' ass cheeks to pull him impossibly closer.

"More than I could have ever hoped for," came the low, almost agitated reply, no sign of the simpering wreck Jack had been praying Rhys would become in his grasp. He was still goddamn tense. A cold, metal hand was on his face and then in his hair. Jack leaned into the touch whilst drawing Rhys' bottom lip between his teeth. It was then, out of nowhere, that the cybernetic hand in his hair anchored down and wrenched his head back with a _snap_ . The unforeseen jolt was incredibly painful in its urgency and it turned to complete agony when the top of his skull crunched into the jagged rock face behind him. That, paired with the new, strange flavour of metal and rust in his mouth, had his mind reeling. He reached out for Rhys but with his head so clouded with pain and confusion, his fingers couldn't grip at the man before him like he wanted to. A sharp object pressed against his throat and Jack knew he had to sort himself out _now._ Danger. Danger. _Danger_ his body screamed it at him. He shook himself (he was Handsome goddamn Jack for fuck sake) and lashed out, slamming his palm against Rhys' neck and squeezing hard enough that it would at the very least leave a deep, significant and satisfying bruise. When Jack's eyes found Rhys', the man was breaths away from him, an odd smirk playing on his bloodied mouth. Jack's hardened eyes watched the blood dripping down his lip and he watched that _tongue_ sweep across and lap it up. Nevertheless, more pumped out of the indents that Jack's teeth had made.

 

_Good._

 

The blade that Rhys was pressing into his windpipe was breaking the skin now, causing Jack to bare his teeth and grip the neck in his hand tighter. His other hand came up and curled around the wrist that held the weapon.

"You little shit," he snarled, each word troublesome as his Adam's apple danced across the blade with every sound he made. Rhys was obviously struggling too, the hand around his throat tight enough to greatly restrict his airflow. "What the _hell_ are you doing?!"

"You think I'm going to give myself to you that easily?" he managed, sliding the blade up under Jack's chin. Jack's fingers flexed. "You really think I'll just _take_ your _shit_ for all these years and then roll over and _fuck you?"_

Jack snorted. As if it would have been Rhys doing the fucking.

"You _wish_ you could get _fucked_ by _me_ ," Jack snapped, shifting under Rhys' hold. He swallowed painfully. "I'd make you scream, Rhysie. I'd have you on your knees _begging_ and _gagging_ for more _._ Just look at you. You _know_ you want it. _"_

Jack knew that every word was now bringing droplets of his blood across the blade of the knife at his throat. He grinned. It appeared that it was also Rhys' turn to smile; it was cold and calculated, but his pretty little eyes were his giveaway. They held Jack's with what the Hyperion man realised was a ridiculous attempt at malice and contempt. Jack could have laughed. Rhys was just doing this to seem more in control than him. More powerful than him. Not _weak._ He wanted to prove his worth as a Pandoran CEO, of all things. Show he wasn't _easy_ . The irony of it all was hilarious - Rhys was denying himself of Jack despite knowing he _wanted_ him...hadn't that been the _exact_ reason that had driven them to this precise moment? Rhys' wary eyes darted across Jack's face as the older man remained quiet in thought, but with a knowing smirk Jack focused on those eyes and saw straight through to the war raging behind them. His wolfish grin widened. This only seemed to cause Rhys to become considerably more irate. He tightened his grip on Jack's hair and pulled hard, tearing a few strands from the roots.

"You're full of crap. Don't look at me like that. I don't want you, _asshole_ . You really think I would actually cry over your lack of _caring_ for me? God, you're as thick as skag shit, Jack. It was all a ploy to get you to break and you _did_ ." He laughed before bringing his stern gaze back to Jack's eyes. "You've _always_ wanted me but you were too weak to do anything about it. And now? You're too fucking late." Rhys' voice faltered mid-sentence and Jack could have rolled his eyes. What was this beautiful idiot doing? The rise and fall of his chest, the constant up and down of his throat, the wildness in his eyes. Jack bet if he just...slid his thumb up slightly aaaaand-

 

Yes, there it was. The shrill, fervent, unmistakable beating of Rhys' heart. His downfall and his biggest tell. _A heart never lies_. Rhys frowned at him, cocking his head to the side.

"What are you _doing_ -"

"Kiss me."

Rhys paused before laughing again. "Wow. You really don't get it do you? I'm _done_ with all that. Done with _you_. I just wanted to see you finally own your stupid feelings-"

" _Kiss_ me." Jack cut him off, leaning into the blade towards Rhys. Blood trickled down Rhys' arm. The Atlas man quirked an eyebrow but the fall of his chest was _everything_ Jack needed. Silence passed and a tremble along Rhys' blade shot straight to Jack's dick.

"I _did,"_ Rhys responded eventually, voice breathy. Jack slowly pulled at the wrist in his hand and there was certainly not enough tension there for a man who was _"done"._ The blade stayed put, but now Jack could breathe. His hands left Rhys' throat and fisted the front of his shirt.

"You didn't do it like I know you _wanted_ to." Air caught in Jack's throat and Rhys' face lost some rigidity in that moment; he was very clearly fighting a losing battle within himself. His eyes, now wide and wild, searched Jack's face with desperation. Jack lowered his eyebrows as he followed their every movement and the CEO facade, along with the knife, finally fell to the floor.

 

Their eyes met.

  
  
  


_There_ he was.

 

Before Jack could blink, Rhys had surged forward and captured his mouth with his own, hungry and wanting. The younger man's hands planted firmly either side of Jack's face and he _moaned_ when Jack beamed and palmed his crotch.

"You're a liar, Rhysie," he hissed, feeling the undeniable hardness there. Pretty turned on for a man who claimed to be "done". He suckled the blood off of the man's lower lip. "A dirty little liar." Rhys nodded and Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Why the show then, asshole?"

"Couldn't let you think you'd gotten off easy," Rhys replied, heavily breathing, pressing his cheek against Jack's. " _Asshole_."

Jack wanted to see his face. Needed to see his face. He dragged it round so he could and marvelled at the pretty _, perfect_ man he found. Rhys smirked.

"You like what you see?"

"You know I _love_ what I see." Hands buried in the younger man's hair, Jack ravaged Rhys' neck, sucking an angry red mark into a place that would certainly bruise from the squeezing he'd given it earlier. The Atlas CEO swore under his breath, clawing at Jack's shoulders far more desperately than he had done before. _This_ was Rhys. Not the fool who had kissed him before thinking he could just tell Jack off and walk away. Oh boy, Rhys had been denying himself _hugely._ The way he pawed at Jack and tugged at his clothes and arms told the Hyperion CEO that Rhys would never have managed to leave this cave without riding his dick at least once. Almost right on cue, Rhys had him by his throat and used it to pin him up against the cave wall, kissing him deeply. It hurt from the cuts there but Jack fought through it. He was too turned on to care, really.  So aroused, in fact, that he wondered why on _Pandora_ they were still standing.

 

With that, Jack slid his hands under Rhys' white shirt and replaced his thumbs against his bare hips. Rhys grinned into the kiss. With his hands splayed there for purchase, Jack guided them across the cave and they dropped to their knees at the fireside. Rhys had been in the process of removing the bedding so there was something at least soft to land on besides the rocky cave floor. Jack went for the shorts, loving the easy access of them, but was beaten by a hand snaking into his own pants first. He gasped as Rhys took a tight hold of him, a wide grin curling onto his lips.

"It's been years," Rhys breathed, beginning to rub him up and down. Jack's knees weakened. He'd been _thinking_ about this for years. Rhys pressed his mouth against Jack's ear. "But I still dreamed about your cock every goddamn night before I fell asleep."

"Oh my _god_ ," Jack growled, taking Rhys by the face and kissing him furiously. He thrusted his hand into Rhys' shorts and moaned at what he found there. The Atlas CEO, _leaking_ and _thick_ and _magnificent_ , was _his._

 

_Finally._

 

*

 

 _Rhys honestly wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision or not but there was absolutely no turning back. His best friend_ certainly _thought he hadn't. Vaughn glared at him from across the kitchen._

_"I can't believe you didn't tell me that you were going to do that."_

_Rhys chewed on his lip and shrugged. "If I had, you'd have lost your shit...like you just did."_

_Vaughn threw his hands in the air and groaned before smacking them back down on the island of their kitchen._

_"Of course I would have?! You stood up against Handsome Jack! You just… basically told him...that he was running his company into the ground! To his face! In front of the Board!"_

_Rhys slowly nodded. In retrospect, it did seem a little scandalous. Maybe even ridiculously scandalous. People would definitely be talking about this for a while. He grimaced._

_"He wants me to come to his office this afternoon."_

_"Probably to kill you."_

_"...Probably."_

_It was then that Vaughn slowly lowered his forehead to the island. "I cannot afford this place alone."_

_"I'll leave you all my belongings in my will."_

_Vaughn turned his head and stared at Rhys. "What? Your PlayStation, bed and wardrobe of weird, shitty clothes? That won't keep me going!” He stood upright and pinched his index fingers and thumbs together. “How am I supposed to afford my lifestyle that your paycheck allows me to have?!"_

_A beat of silence. Rhys shrugged. "....Sell your body?"_

_Vaughn looked down, patted his stomach and raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I_ am _pretty hench.  That does make sense.”_

_Rhys wolf-whistled. "Damn, boy! That’s right! You're hot as hell! People will pay out of their nose for a piece like you."_

_A small smile fought its way onto Vaughn's pursed lips._

_"You know it."_

_They both looked at each other and laughed, but eventually Vaughn’s anxious expression returns and Rhys looked at the clock. A sick feeling turned over in his stomach and he swallowed around a raised lump in his throat._

_"I have to go. Thanks for, uh, meeting me here for lunch, bro."_

_His best friend smiled. "Well, bro, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than eating lunch out_ and _buying for Yvette. So as long as you don't die in the next few hours, my day is gonna have been_ sweeeeet." _Silence passed between them and Vaughn tilted his head sadly. He swiftly crossed the kitchen and pulled Rhys into a tight hug. The taller man closed his eyes and hugged him back. "Please, please don't die today."_

_"I'll really, really try not to."_

 

_*_

 

 _Rhys was absolutely shitting himself for the entire walk and elevator ride up to Jack's office. He had never had the opportunity to go there before and the thought of being alone in the place with the CEO of Hyperion was an extremely terrifying concept. Although he_ knew _his numbers held, he still didn't know how well the way he’d delivered them had settled with the man. Rhys stared at the ceiling and the elevator doors pinged, causing him to jump a little. He inwardly reprimand himself - he wasn't even at the right_ floor _yet. Two executives Rhys recognised entered the elevator and acknowledged him with smiles and nods._

_“Afternoon sir.”_

_Rhys managed a small wave and a quiet ‘hello’ in response; he really couldn’t have been more disappointed in himself. If he’d been alone, he probably would have smacked himself in the face to try and get it together. Instead, he breathed out slowly. Jack wouldn't scare him. Jack_ couldn't _scare him. Weakness would be the death of him if he let it show. Confidence was key. He knew his work held up. He knew Jack would have been crushed without that report. He knew the future of Hyperion would remain in balance because of_ him. _He just had to own his shit and let Jack see that. Plus, confidence was damn sexy. His outfit was damn sexy. He and Jack had already shared a "moment"._

 

 _...Gods, Rhys had this in the_ bag.

 

_When he finally reached the floor where Jack's office was, and the elevator doors slid open, his gut twisted despite himself. The girl at the desk (if Rhys remembered rightly her name was ‘Meg’) glanced up over her red horn-rimmed glasses as he approached._

_“Hello, sir. Is Jack expecting you?” She looked at her computer, waving her pen at it. “I don’t see anything here on the schedule.”_

_Rhys rubbed the back of his head. “It was more of a last minute request at the end of the meeting.”_

_Meg’s eyebrows knitted together as a look of realisation crossed her face._

_“...Oh. He’s um...not been overly pleased since returning from that.”_

_“I can imagine he hasn’t.”_

_She tapped her pen on her lips and then pointed it at him. “You’re the one who brought up the information on the competitors, aren’t you? I read the minutes. I must say, it took some serious courage to do what you did.”_

_Rhys breathed in through his nose. “Is he...going to kill me?”_

_“Ha!” Rhys liked the way her eyes wrinkled when she laughed. It was warm and reassured him a lot. “I don’t think so. Without you, Hyperion would be facing some hard times ahead.” A wave of relief washed over him. “However...don’t do anything dumb. Speak only when spoken to. Don’t get too big for your boots. He may not kill you but I certainly wouldn’t put it past him giving you a whack if you mess up. He’s definitely in a mood.”_

_The last sentence drawled out of her mouth and it sounded exasperated. She rolled her eyes. Rhys cracked a smile and leant in._

_“Jack seems to be the kind of person who’s prone to moods. You must be pretty hardy to deal with it all the time.”_

_Meg giggled and prodded him in the chest with her pen. “You have_ no _idea.” She leant in even further, beckoning him to do the same. “Between you and me, I think he’s a bit overdramatic.”_

_It was Rhys’ turn to chuckle. “You think?”_

_They both fell into a fit of laughter but desperately tried to stifle it and look professional when the doors to Jack’s office flew open._

_“Don’t deny me my coffee again just because you think- oh.” The CEO placed his hands on his hips. “What do we have here?”_

_Rhys chewed his lips closed, trying very hard not to laugh. Meg grinned at Jack._

_“Rhys and I were just discussing Hugo Vasquez. He works in Rhys’ department and I had a run-in with him at a nightclub a few days ago. The fool thought he could get a leg up through me, pretty sure. Can you believe it?"_

_Rhys eyed her in awe and approval. That had been_ slick. _Jack raised an eyebrow and folded his arms._

_“I know him. A real asshole. Wears hair implants. Used to use him as a punchbag. The freak loved it. Ha, what a loser.”_

_“So I didn’t miss out then?” Meg laughed. Jack’s upper lip quirked into a small smile and he leaned an elbow on the raised part of her desk._

_“Not at all, babe. Plus, no one on this godforsaken station is anywhere near good enough for you.”_

_A blush dappled across Meg’s cheeks and she blew Jack a kiss. Rhys felt as though he was having an out of body experience. What was happening? He’d never seen anyone interact with Jack this way and live to tell the tale. It was like the two were...friends? Jack blew her a kiss back. Rhys could have flipped a table._

_“Let’s hop to it then, pumpkin,” Jack grunted, turning his attention to Rhys. The younger man pointed to himself and then hurried after his boss, following him into the office._

 

_*_

 

_Jack lounged across his sofa, cramming chips into his mouth and nonchalantly flicking through his ECHO. The radio’s music floated through the air just loud enough to be heard. Hyperion FM was on its mellow hour and the lulling tones were making it hard for Rhys to keep his eyes open. He yawned and stretched out on the floor, enjoying the feeling of the rug underneath him. He hadn’t rested in hours. He closed his eyes briefly, listening to the music._

_“Wake up, chucklefuck,” came a voice from somewhere above him. Rhys cranked open an eye to spy Jack peering down at him, hanging over the side of the sofa. “You literally fell asleep on the job. I could so have you fired for that.”_

_Rhys pouted. “Excuse you. You demanded that we take a break.”_

_“Yeah, a short one. For twenty minutes. You’ve been snoring down there for forty five!”_

_“...No I haven’t.”_

_Jack huffed a laugh and swung his legs over the side of the couch as Rhys pushed himself into a sitting position._

_“Oh, Rhys! You’ve decided to join us,” Meg said, entering the office with a tray of coffees. “You’re a very pretty sleeper.” She tossed him a wink before thrusting a coffee into his hand and one into Jack’s. Rhys groaned and dropped back to his elbows._

_“Well, I obviously needed sleep because_ someone _-” He shot daggers at Jack. “-makes me work ridiculous hours.”_

 _“And most from the comfort of this luxurious office!” Jack gestured around him. “The rest of Hyperion would_ kill _to work in here alongside_ me _.” He pointed to the cup in Rhys’ hand. “With perks of free coffee! And compliments!” He jerked his thumb at Meg. “She is right though, kiddo. You’re somehow even prettier when you sleep. Perhaps I should fix up that cam in your bedroom...”_

_Rhys felt his cheeks burst with scarlet at the comment and both Jack and Meg laughed. He went to clamber to his feet but Jack was already on his and offering his hand._

_“Come on, Legs. Let’s get back to work.”_

 

_*_

 

_“You want to go out...with me?”_

_Rhys fumbled over his words as Jack eyed him from across the office. The man peered at him over his paperwork, feet kicked up on his desk._

_“...Did I stutter?”_

_“No but-”_

_“Then yes, dum dum. I want to go out with you. I need a night out to destress and so do you. This project is a little more complex than even I anticipated. I didn’t envisage I’d have my Head of Robotics working alongside me almost every day and I’m sure you didn’t see this happening either. We owe it to each other to have a night off and actually do something fun that doesn’t involve goddamn work.”_

_“...I am...uh...a little overworked I guess.”_

_This caused Jack to sit up and slam his paperwork down. “Overworked? You want to say that to my face, little man?”_

_The blood froze in Rhys’ veins but he groaned when Jack cackled, shoulders shaking._

_“You should have seen your face! Ha! Ya idiot. You really think I’d get mad at you, Rhysie? You're my main man! But oh my god, that was too easy.” His chortling tapered off._

_“You’re so fucking funny,” Rhys muttered, but Jack overheard and returned to laughing; so much so that he eventually wiped a tear from his eye._

_“I am though,” he sniggered. “I really am. Gods, I love me.”_

 

_*_

 

_Vaughn’s jaw dropped as Rhys paraded out into the living room._

_“Oh my god, you look incredible, Rhys.”_

_“That’s the aim. I_ am _going out with Handsome Jack.”_

_He’d gone for tight black skinny jeans that did wonders for his ass and a dark grey shirt topped off with a black jacket and his trusty boots. His hair was perfectly styled and he prayed it would stay that way. It had taken a ridiculously long amount of time to do. Vaughn had made many a comment, as he often did, about exactly how long he’d spent on it._

_“Do you even know where you’re going?” Yvette asked, sipping on her wine. “Guessing it’s somewhere fancy.”_

_“The Gorgon bar, actually.”_

_Her eyes grew wide with surprise. “I’m sorry? The Gorgon? That shithole we visit sometimes when we’re low on cash?”_

_Rhys nodded, tugging on his jacket. “The very one. Jack wants it to get messy. Can’t do that at an executive lounge. I suggested Gorgon’s.”_

_Yvette placed her glass down on the coffee table and spread her hands in the air. “Let me get this straight. Handsome Jack and yourself are going to-”_

_“And Meg. His PA.”_

_“....Handsome Jack, Handsome Jack’s PA and yourself are going to the seediest place on Hyperion? To get drunk and messy?”_

_Slipping his keys into his back pocket, Rhys leant over to plant a kiss on her cheek._

_“Yep, and I’m already late. I don’t know what time I’ll be back so...don’t wait up.”_

_“We’ve got three movies to get through. If you’re not back by the time those are done, I’ll assume you’re asleep in Jack’s bed.” Vaughn’s words stopped Rhys in his tracks. He took his hand off of the door knob and turned slowly. He pointed his finger directly at his friend._

_“You...don’t even joke about that. You know that’s a dream that will never happen.”_

_“If Jack sees you like that it might change that dream to a reality,” Yvette mused._

_“La la la! Shut up!” he grumbled back, opening the door. “Don’t miss me too much!”_

_And with that, he closed the door behind him and took a deep breath._

_Gods, he hoped they were right._

 

_The Gorgon was almost shaking with the volume of the music pumping out from inside. A huge line of people snaked down the street and around the corner. Rhys took a moment to admire the beauty of Helios, as he often did. Many of the residential and commerce levels were created to resemble planet-side life. Streets with street lamps and buildings and ceilings that changed with the daylight system of Helios. It truly was something that set Hyperion apart from other space stations around. As Rhys brought his attention back to the bar, he noticed a few of his employees in the line. Thankfully they hadn’t spotted him but hell, this was going to be one interesting night._

 

_Jack and Meg arrived in a shuttle within the next few minutes, causing a stir and screams of joy from the line of people outside the club. Rhys, leaning against the wall beside the club, watched as Jack waved to his fans and employees before locking eyes with Rhys from across the street._

_“Oh my god, is that his girlfriend?!” a girl squeaked from nearby. Rhys rolled his eyes and failed to contain his laughter. Meg and Jack? That would never work._

_“Rhysie!” Jack called, clapping his hands together as he approached him. Rhys noted the way Jack’s eyes travelled his entire body, dragging their way up to meet his eyes. The CEO licked his lips. “My, don’t you look delicious.”_

_Jack himself looked ravishing. A plain shirt, wide open and baring_ so much _of his chest, was rolled up to the elbows. He donned a pair of dark blue jeans and, of course, sneakers. Rhys’ breath caught in his throat. Jack had never looked sexier. He hoped that was the case for him too._

_“Hey, Rhys!” Meg’s voice prompted Rhys out of his own head and he took her in. Glasses gone, hair down, cleavage for days...his jaw dropped._

_“Holy shit, you both look great.”_

_Jack smirked. “Of course we do. Don’t go getting a hard on there, babe.” Jack laughed, but Rhys actually made a small, hopefully unnoticeable effort to wrap his jacket around himself to hide the real boner he actually had gotten from seeing his boss. Jack clearly didn’t see, because he threw his hands in the air and whooped._

_“Let’s get_ drunk, _bitches!”_

 

_*_

 

_“I freaking love you, Meg,” Jack drawled, throwing an arm around her shoulder. They were squished into a booth at the side of the bar, Jack squeezed in the middle of the other two. Two empty bottles of champagne lay on the table amongst countless shot glasses and a quarter of a bottle of rum. Rhys hiccuped and giggled as Meg swooned._

_“Oh Handsome Jack, I love you too! When shall we be married?”_ _  
_ _“Right now! Say Rhys, you look fucking god-like right now so you must have those powers. Marry us. Marry us right now, cupcake. C’mon. C’mon it’ll be hilarious.”_

_Rhys stood and swayed, giggling and hiccuping even more as he went. “I now...pros..pronounce you...CEO and...P...P...PA. What a beautiful coupsful...couple!” He could barely finish through his laughter. Jack was cackling and Meg hid her face in her hands._

_“We should celebrate!” Jack cheered, standing. Everyone around who heard turned to look at him. “Hey! Barkeep! Another round of shots for everyone!”_

_“They’re gonna run out of vodka,” Rhys commented, leaning across to Meg and taking her hand. “And that would be a travesty.”_

_"By the end of tonight there probably won’t be *hic* be any booze left in this place.” She beamed. “If Jack has his way.”_

_“Screw that!” the man above them shouted, a crazed tone in his voice. He waved his arms wildly as though that would erase his prior comments. “Free booze for everyone!! All night! Put it...put it on my tab, Wilson! I’m feeling…” Jack grinned wolfishly down at Rhys and Meg. “...generous.” His eyes found Rhys and the waggling of his eyebrows had Rhys falling into peals of laughter. He honestly couldn’t believe that he was having a genuinely fun night out with Handsome Jack._ The _Handsome Jack. The man himself slumped back down between them and threw his arms around them both. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath._

 _“I want…” His eyes blew open. “To_ dance. _”_

 

_*_

 

 _The dance floor was heaving. People had given Jack, Rhys and Meg plenty of space when they’d first arrived but, eventually, everyone stopped caring and sweaty bodies were back grinding against sweaty bodies. Rhys had closed his eyes and undone a few buttons of his shirt before dancing a little dirty with Meg and Jack was losing. his._ mind _. He could see a part of Rhys’ tattoo that he’d never seen before and desperately wondered just how far down it went. It was as he stared that Rhys opened his eyes, meeting Jack’s gaze. The younger man smiled coyly at him before running the tip of his tongue along his upper lip. Jack felt his pants tighten._

 

_Who was this damn kid? He’d somehow strolled into his personal life after presenting a fix for a haemorrhage he hadn’t even known Hyperion had. He was smart and sexy as hell and dammit if Jack didn’t want him. Making his way through the people in front of him, Jack placed his hands on Rhys’ hips and they swayed to the rhythm of the pulsing beat. Meg smiled knowingly over Rhys’ shoulder and Jack raised his eyebrows back at her. She gave him a small wave, blew a kiss and disappeared into the crowd, leaving the two men alone._

_“Didn’t know you had moves, Rhysie,” Jack murmured directly into the ear of his Head of Robotics, as softly as he could despite the loud music. Rhys rolled his head to the side to look at him through heavily-lidded eyes._

_“You have no_ idea _what I can do, Jack,” he replied, throwing his arms around the man and pressing up against him. Jack was sure he could feel Rhys’ dick pressing into his thigh and swore under his breath._

_“I know that my place has better booze and music.”_

_“You gonna take me home, *hic* Jack?”_

_It was as Rhys said it that Jack noticed the way Rhys’ eyes were rolling. He wasn’t in any fit state to be taken anywhere but his own bed. Jack snarled to himself. If only he hadn’t fed the kid so much damn alcohol. Jack was many sinful things...but a freaking rapist was not one of them._

_“My place does sound incredible right now, and gods Rhysie, baby, you have_ no _idea how much I want that. But we’ve gotta get you home. You can barely fucking stand,” Jack muttered the final sentence under his breath as Rhys flopped against him. Jack himself was steaming drunk but he could handle his liquor. Rhys clearly couldn’t._

 

_They managed to get out of the club and Jack shoved him onto his personal shuttle, sitting him down beside him. As it set off, Rhys giggled and awkwardly pulled himself into Jack’s lap, straddling him. Jack grinned and smacked Rhys’ ass to pull him closer. Their noses touched and Rhys’ eyelids fluttered closed._

_“What is it about you…” Jack breathed, running his hand through Rhys’ hair._

_“Without me, your company would be nothing,” Rhys quipped, prodding Jack in the chest. His hand remained there, sliding under his shirt. Jacked hummed in agreement, letting his eyes fall closed._

 

_“Fuck,” he suddenly whined, eyes shooting open. That was true. That was absolutely true. Rhys was his Head of Robotics and a goddamn genius in his own right. Jack would be a moron to get involved with him in any capacity other than professional. If he and Rhys...if it went bad...he would never be at the top. Of course, he couldn’t tell the kid that. It’d all go to his head. But this...Rhys grinding down on Jack’s lap...was entirely inappropriate. Jack sighed and clenched down his teeth hard. He would give anything to have the pretty little thing around his cock...anything other than his company, of course._

_“Ohkay Rhysie, time to settle down,” he said, picking the boy up and placing him in back in his seat. Rhys whimpered._

_“Don’t you want me?”_

_Jack gritted his teeth harder. “Oh baby. Oh baby, I_ do _. But you won’t remember this in the morning and you’ll thank me for it. Wanna keep you and me at the top, cupcake. And we can’t do that with you sleeping in_ my _bed.”_

_With that, Jack rummaged around in his shuttle’s cabinet. He kept many items in it - poisons, whiskey, things that worked to erase a little memory here or there…He pulled out a small vial of purple liquid and stared at it, then at Rhys. The younger man had fallen asleep, still as pretty as Jack remembered. He removed the pipette from the vial and brought it close to Rhys’ lips._

_“Just a little...just so there’s no unnecessary conversations in the morning. I’ve got enough damn stress to deal with.” He hovered for a moment, swallowing hard. “Fuck.”_

 

_*_

 

_A very sharp pain dashed through Rhys’ brain as he attempted to sit up. He whimpered and collapsed back down, clutching at his head. He did, however, manage to crank open an eyelid and discover he was somehow back in his own room._

_“How the fu-”_

_He forced his aching mind to retrace his steps but found he couldn’t remember anything after...after dancing with Meg? Had that happened? He grimaced, hoping he hadn’t made a fool of himself._

_“Vaughn?!” he croaked. “Vaughn!”_

_Glancing around, Rhys noticed a glass of water on his bedside cabinet and a few white pills. Beside them lay a scribbled note. He reached over, cursing his stomach that churned, and popped the pills before going to read the message._

_“Morning sunshine!” Vaughn singsonged loudly, throwing open his door. “What a beautiful day! Isn’t it just the most beautiful day?”_

_The note fell with Rhys’ hand to the mattress. “Vaughn...please bro...my head.”_

_At this, Vaughn clapped his hands together. “We had SO much fun last night, man! I mean, I really super loved it when Handsome Jack swept into our goshdarn APARTMENT at THREE IN THE MORNING….UNANNOUNCED.”_

_“Wha…”_

_“Oh yeah,” Vaughn continued, sitting at the end of his bed. “There Yvette and I were on the last part of our final movie and the door just FLIES open, scaring the living crap out of us, and Handsome freaking Jack just stomps in with you in his arms and...puts you to bed! He got you water and meds and just...saluted us...and left. I mean...it was an_ experience.”

_Rhys shifted in his bed. “He...did that?”_

_“Yep. Oh, he did actually ask for a pen. That was really...weird. First words Handsome Jack says to me in my life is ‘Hey nerd, got a pen?’.”_

_It was then that Rhys remembered the note. He glanced down._

_‘Hey, kiddo. Last night was good ol’ fun and you passed right out on the dance floor so I brought you home. No biggie. You just owe me a million favours now. Ha ha. Anyway, get your butt to work. We have shit to do. Hope your hangover doesn’t stop you from being here by one. Drink your fluids. HJ.’_

_Rhys blinked._

 

_*_

 

 _The orange glow of Elpis lit Jack’s office as he sat there in his chair, head reeling from all of the booze he’d consumed. He didn’t know why he’d ended up here and not in his own bed, but what had happened with Rhys...it was eating him up. He just wanted it to go away. Why did he even give a shit? He’d only known the guy for a couple months. He’d known_ of _him for a few years but these past months...being that_ close... _The man was fuelled by passion and desire to succeed. Jack could watch him work for hours. He was cute as hell and pretty as a goddamn picture too. Jack’s head dropped into his hands._

 

_Hyperion could flourish. But why couldn’t Jack have what he knew might make him happy?_

 

_Why did he have to be so freaking smart and make stupid, sensible choices?_

 

_Jack sighed and smiled in spite of himself._

 

_He was just too good for his own damn good._

 

_*_

 

Jack hissed through his teeth as Rhys kissed down his chest and stomach, swirling his tongue across his hip bones. He’d been dreaming about this moment for years and Rhys’ mouth felt just as perfect as he’d always hoped. His hands buried themselves in the Atlas man’s hair and he closed his eyes, bucking up into the touch. Rhys grinned against him as he felt Jack’s response and proceeded to move down further, mouthing his dick through his pants.

“Shit, _Rhys_ ,” Jack moaned, hand moving to unzip so that Rhys could just get his mouth around him.

“I got news they were around here somewhere!”

 

Jack’s eyes flew open.

 

His hand stopped at his zipper.

 

The voice echoed through the cave.

 

Rhys’ lips froze against his FUCKING DICK.

 

Jack could kill a man.

 

OH boy. He _was_ going to kill a man.

  


“Where’s the fuck is my fucking _GUN_?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are really really appreciated. Lack of comments brings me down :-( Sad writer = less fic. And that will lead to sad readers. Boo.
> 
> Anyway, catch y'all on the next chapter! x


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hello hello. Sorry, I usually like to pump out updates but this one has really taken it out of me. Nearly 7000 words! Phew. 
> 
> I'm now on twitter! HMU @_loki_dokey. I'm really active on there and it would be awesome to chat :-)
> 
> Also if you ARE on twitter and you saw the bald!jack shitstorm, I deeply apologise. I sparked a flame that @spacejellybeans (-_-) took and spanked the internet's ass with. Gdi beans. 
> 
> ANYWAY yes. Enjoy! ~*~*

_"What was_ that _?"_

_Jack had been hovering over his shoulder for the past few minutes, quietly watching the screen and Rhys' holo while eating his lunch. Rhys smiled and remained quiet, pulling up the code again and inputting a few more lines to integrate the work he’d been doing._

_"No...no. Stop." Jack said around a large chunk of bagel. "Stop and go back." He waved his finger at Rhys' projection and swallowed his mouthful. "Explain please."_

_As he spoke, Jack's breath brushed past his ear and Rhys had to take a quiet, deep breath to hold it together. The close proximity that Jack always chose to keep with him wasn’t getting any easier to deal with. Lip under his teeth, he shook himself and leaned forward to type something into the keyboard with his flesh hand._

_"I've fixed an algorithm into the database to detect any discrepancies in the data. It should tell us what Maliwan is doing down there." Something blipped on the holo. A wide, knowing grin grew across Rhys' face. "Scratch that. It_ will _tell us what Maliwan is doing." He let out a short laugh._ _"Those suckers."_

_Rhys noticed that Jack was silent. He continued unpicking what he'd found but did eventually glance over his shoulder. Jack was there, staring at him intently. A warmth settled itself across Rhys' face before he turned back to the screen. He had seen many of Jack's stares before - death stare, menacing stare, confused stare - this was different._

_"Impressed?" he asked, making a proud point to very obviously upload the new information to Hyperion's systems. A beat of silence._

_"...Scared shitless, actually."_

_This made Rhys pause and turn. Jack was_ still _staring at him._

_"Huh?"_

_The CEO moved to sit down on the desk beside the computer. He crossed one knee over the other and propped his elbow on his knee, then his chin on his fist, searching Rhys' face. For what, the younger man had no idea. Jack's eyes narrowed._

_"You know things."_

_Rhys scoffed. "Well, yes. I like to think-"_

_"Things that could decimate other companies. If, of course, you were in that game. Which would be unproductive because Hyperion gets better off of the backs of those pricks. But still." Jack sat up, uncrossed his legs and leant back on both hands, essentially presenting himself to Rhys which made the Head of Robotics suck in a breath. "But still, you're_ capable _. Of that. Which is scary cos like-" Jack waved his hands in the air and laughed tightly. "-wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of you!"_

_Jack laughed again but it sounded just as forced as before. He rolled off the desk to face Elpis, drumming his fingers on his hips. His inability to keep still wasn't massively unusual but it did only really come about at times of stress. Stress? What was Jack- Wait…Was Jack...so impressed that he was...afraid of him?_

_"Is that...a hint of praise?" Rhys asked slyly, proud of his selective phrasing. He raised an eyebrow. Spinning on the spot, Jack raised his own eyebrow. A strange emotion crossed his face that Rhys didn’t understand._

_"No," the man huffed, but a small smile slipped onto his lips. "...Well, maybe. A little. Just don't go turning on me, cupcake._ Ha _. I don't think we'd last a day with you on Hyperion's ass the way you are on poor ol' Maliwan's." His lips became a tight line and he walked back over to the desk. He finally tore his eyes from Rhys' to look at the screen. "Perhaps Hyperion needs to install some malware. Or 'Rhysware'. Heh."_

 _Rhys smiled. Jack actually_ was _impressed. He'd guessed as much over the past few months but hearing Jack say it?_

 

_Rhys could have died and gone to heaven on the spot._

 

_Instead, he closed his projection as Jack sat back down on the desk again, picking up a ball and tossing it into the air. Rhys needed to act calm. Casual. Like he was unphased._

  


_Rhys was goddamn screaming inside._

  


_He moved, purposefully leaning over Jack to grab a bagel of his own. Slowly, he sank his mouth into it, noting that Jack had his eyes clamped on him._

_"Can I_ help _you any more?" he asked, chewing. "Because I need to get back to my job and I want to eat my bagel in peace without…" He pointed between their gazes with two fingers. "this."_

_In an instant, Jack's expression warped and he frowned, crossing his arms._

_"Oh_ wow. _Okay." He slid off the desk and tossed the ball at Rhys' head. It bounced off and they both watched it as it rolled away. Jack stalked towards the door and Rhys chewed and swallowed._

_"That was unnecessary," he remarked._

_"Oh just...shut up and do your work, kid."_

_"Just a reminder…I...I was…"_

_Jack froze, hand around the door handle. He span on his heel. His eyes were slits of anguish._

_"You giving me sass?"_

_Rhys smiled and batted his eyelids, placing his fingertips on his chest. "Me? Sass? Never!"_

_"I've airlocked people for less."_

_"No, you haven't."_

_The Hyperion CEO's jaw dropped slightly and his hand gripped the door harder._

_"Uh, well, I...would. If I… If...it...oh shut the fuck up, Rhys. I'll goddamn airlock you."_

_Rhys reopened his holo and turned back to the screen._

_"Okay, Jack."_

_From the corner of his eye, he saw the man flip him off. The door slammed. Rhys face burnt like a brand._

 

_Fuck, he was such a mess._

 

_*_

 

_"You absolute morons! You fucking dumb fucking fucks!"_

_Jack slammed his fists down hard on the desk, making the two executives before him jump and whimper. They were pale and trembling, looking as though they would pass out at any second._

 

 _Goddamn_ right _._

 

_Behind them, at his temporary, makeshift desk, Rhys peered round from behind his screen. His eyes were wide and curious, narrowing as he and Jack made eye contact. Jack hated that he'd caught the kid's eye because now he was reminded he had an audience._

 

_Not that he cared._

 

_Nope._

 

_Rhys was just._

 

_Rhys._

 

_Jack had brought people down to size in front of packed auditoriums before._

 

 _"Why do I have to be put through the bullshit of hearing that you two_ imbeciles _can't make a simple off-world shipment? To freaking Eden-7?! As a company, we've been trading with them for years!"_

_One of the execs shuffled from foot to foot. Rhys stood (why was he even looking at Rhys???) and crossed the room to their table of files for the Adversary project. The Robotics lead was doing such a terrible job at pretending not to listen that it was almost laughable. Also his ass...in those pants..._

" _How...how much are you getting paid?" Jack squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. One man mumbled a figure and Jack balked. "There are people in janitorial doing a better job for this company than you two clowns."_

_"We are so sorry, Handsome Jack sir!" the other one blurted._

 

_Brave little shit._

 

_Jack smirked before his mouth dropped into a dark snarl._

_"Oh, you're sorry? Will_ that _bring back my missing cargo?"_

_He moved around the side of the desk and honestly it took everything in him not to howl with laughter at the faces those idiots pulled as he grew closer. One almost tripped down the steps behind him. Rhys shuffled some papers._

_"N-n-no it won't. It's just...the cargoship malfunctioned e-enroute and we've exhausted every available fix to re-uh-restart the...ping- uh that's a locator beacon- but it's not...it's not…"_

_"I know what a fucking ping is. My god, I could kill you two pricks right now."_

_A pile of papers slammed down on the desk where Rhys was. The younger man was pressing down on it and had his eyes closed. Was that? Frustration? What the fuck, Rhys needed to get off his case._

_"I need to call my mom, please!" the older of the men cried out, dropping to his knees. "Please let me call my mom before I die!"_

_Jack's eyes slowly moved from Rhys to the man grovelling on the floor. He couldn't even believe what he was seeing._

_"Are you for real? Like, is this actually happening? Crying for mommy on my marble office floor like a freaking man-baby? Grow some damn balls."_

_He stalked over and yanked the ECHO device from one of their hands and moved to sit on the step next to the guy sobbing. Jack looked up at the other one._

_"Sit."_

_The man did. With his elbow, Jack prodded CryingMan and pointed at the screen._

_"Do you see this? Did you consider using this?" he asked. SobbingDumbfuck nodded and rubbed his eyes. Thoughts whizzed through Jack's brain. He opened another programme. "And this?" PaleNonCrier bit his lip and nodded. A moment passed before Jack grabbed TallDry by the arm of his blazer and tugged him to get closer. He pulled up some codes and applied them. "Did you try those two programmes together after incorporating this?" He transposed the code into the programme and suddenly a blip appeared on the map. Jack's face broke out into a smile. "There she is."_

_"Holy crap, sir," one gasped. "How did you do that?"_

_Jack beamed. “Magic.” He shoved the ECHO back into the guy’s hands. “Nah, to be fair that wasn’t an easy fix unless you knew the codes and there are very few people who do. You’re good to go. If it happens again, you two know what to do now. You’ll forever be the saviours of your damn team.” He grinded his teeth as he turned to the still-sniffling man on his left. “Please stop. You’re embarrassing everyone in this room. Now get gone. I have more important things to do than deal with your sobbing ass, like jerking one out over my own goddamn brilliance.”_

_With that, the two men thanked him and scarpered, leaving Jack and Rhys alone once again. It had only been a few weeks since the guy had moved in and shared his space but damn if that hadn’t felt like Jack was putting on a show, acting his ass off for higher ratings._

_“You’re a good CEO, Jack,” Rhys murmured, replacing a file to the table. Jack coughed and shrugged. Cool. Casual. He wondered if Rhys’ knew that his cheeks were pink. The kid looked up at him through his lashes. “Would you like me to leave so that you can...see to that important thing?” His gaze travelled down to Jack’s crotch and back up again, a small smile playing on his lips. Jack’s eyebrows shot up._

_“No!”_

_"...So you’d rather I stayed?”_

_A prolonged pause filled the room. Jack swallowed and tried hard to keep composure. What an arrogant ass to think he could…to_ believe _he could suggest…_

 

_Jack took a deep breath in through his nose._

 

 _“That’s for later, princess. In the comfort of my own bed. And sorry to say but you’re not invited to the party in my pants. That’s just for me.” He clicked his tongue and shot finger guns. “There’s gonna be_ margaritas _”_

_Rhys sat back down and projected his holo, swiping through. “Sounds like a very lonely party to me.”_

_Jack went to bite back but ended up with an extended arm and a finger pointing at Rhys with no idea what to say. It_ did _sound like a lonely party and actually, he would have loved nothing more than Rhys present at the party in his pants. Even the thought of it was making the party start a little early, so he turned and faced the window. He pushed away those images, knowing full well that it would be a bad idea._

_“Get back to work.”_

_  
_ _*_

 

_Rhys was incredibly, incredibly thankful that Jack had gifted him with a few days off. He was sure that if he hadn’t been able to have a lie in, and do his own thing for at least 24 hours, he would have dropped, curled up and perhaps just fizzled out of existence. The Adversary project was going well but it sure was going. They were working at it day and night in a desperate attempt to save Hyperion before it crashed and burned but with progress seeming steady and reasonable, Jack had - out of the blue - told Rhys to get some rest. Rhys could only assume that it had something to do with the fact that he had almost passed out in a board meeting the day before. There had certainly been some concern in Jack’s eyes when he’d talked with him after the meeting._

 

_Rhys had liked that a lot._

 

 _When Rhys awoke, he decided he would spend the first day doing absolutely nothing at all. He rolled out of bed at around eleven, sweet sweet eleven am, and traipsed into the kitchen to make himself the first decent breakfast he’d had in weeks - a triple stack of fresh pancakes smothered in syrup and bacon. His favourite. He audibly moaned into the first mouthful. A few bites in, his brain started whirring. Vaughn was at work, so he had the entire place to himself and he could do anything he wanted, but he kept itching to check his ECHO for updates on the project. As he munched through his breakfast, he fought back the urge and swiftly turned on the radio. Soft music filled the apartment and he found himself swaying along to the beat. He let his eyes close and for the first time in a while, he let himself just_ stop. _It was tricky, but he felt he succeeded when the warmth of relaxation began running its fingers along his spine._

 

 _When he finished his food, he cleaned up and headed to the bathroom. If today was going to be perfect, he would need to squeeze a hot bath in. He made an effort to collect up his book, his softest towel, his lavender bubble bath and the radio from the kitchen as the steaming water flowed into the tub. He even made an effort to light some scented candles too because_ self-care was important, goddammit. _Eventually, when he was certain everything was perfect, he slipped into the bath and sighed with happiness. The hot water was almost biting at his skin but it was just on the right side of heat. With a smile on his lips, he sank down and down until he submerged under the bubbles and remained there until his lungs gave out. He breached the surface, gasping a little, but stayed low, only his face above the bubbles. The scent of lavender filled his nostrils and he grinned. He_ so _deserved this._

 

_He wondered what Jack was doing. The man hadn’t given himself a day off once since the project began and, though Rhys had strongly suggested it, stated that he didn’t do “days off”. Rhys disappeared under the bubbles one more time before stretching and settling back, closing his eyes. A song he loved came on the radio and he hummed along happily, thankful to be free for at least a little while. His thoughts eventually turned back to Jack, as they often did, and he could finally settle into his imagination without fear of distraction or of seeing the man himself. His flesh hand disappeared into the water, reaching for his hard length. He stroked it a few times, eyelids fluttering shut as Jack’s name passed his lips. The CEO had a hold on Rhys that went beyond his original fanboy obsessions. Rhys had started to see new sides to his boss and his dangerous crush was growing. He palmed himself, groaning and slipping a little further into the water. Why was this his situation? Why couldn't he just do his job and not become filled with the desire to crank one out to get release after every shift? Or during every shift? The number of times Jack's intimacy or flirtatious comments had left Rhys gasping as he came all over himself was obscene._

 

 _However, touching himself felt a bit weird in the bath, so he ended up sighing and giving up, flopping his arms over the tub’s edge. He’d have to see to himself after. Leaning, he flicked on the jacuzzi jets that lined the tub and settled down once more, planning on thoroughly enjoying himself in the meantime. His fingertips slid along the cool edge of the bathtub, stroking back and forth with the thrum of the music, and he smiled. Jack_ liked _him. He knew it.  Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Rhys cracked open an eye, staring at his ECHO that sat on the sink. He sat up slowly and took it, cocking his head to the side as he took in the caller ID._

_“Speak of the devil,” he whispered to himself, delighted. He quickly pressed accept. “Jack?”_

_“Heyyy kiddo,” came the voice from the other end of the line. “How’s it hangin’?”_

_Despite knowing that Jack couldn’t possibly have a clue about his now-throbbing erection, Rhys still felt his face burn._

_“It’s...um...going fine? I’m...uh...wait…" Rhys stopped his ministrations. "Why are you calling me?” He sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes. “Has something gone wrong?”_

_“Nah,” Jack replied, nonchalant. Rhys heard him take a bite of something crunchy. A long moment of silence passed between them, Jack's chewing the only sound on the line._

_“Then_ why _are you calling me?”_

_Crunch. A beat. “M’bored.”_

_After a long intake of breath and a deep, long sigh, Rhys sank back in the bath and rolled his eyes. Nevertheless, a twinge of excitement panged in his chest. He grinned a little._

_“You’re calling me on my day off because you’re bored?”_

_Jack crunched through some more of whatever it was he was eating. “It’s not a day off. You’re just at home and not in the office whilst doing no work whatsoever. Doesn’t mean you get to avoid me, babe.” He could almost see Jack wiggling his eyebrows. Rhys giggled despite himself and his arm slid off of the edge, plopping into the water._

_“...Are you...are you in the bath?”_

_Rhys let a little water trickle off of his flesh fingers into the bubbly water, watching the droplets fall. “Yes. I’m_ trying _to enjoy my day off_ . _I even lit a candle for this. Can I have a chance to enjoy it all please?”_

 

_In actuality, he didn’t want to get off of the call. Giggling in the bath with Jack on the ECHO was something he was absolutely down with._

_“You took a bath and didn’t invite me? When I’m this bored? Tsk tsk, Rhysie. You're a bad boy.”_

_Without a second thought, Rhys’ flesh hand shot straight to his dick and he suddenly didn’t care much for waiting. Jack’s teasing words were too much. He kept his breathing as steady as he could._

 

_Whatever Jack didn’t know couldn’t hurt him._

 

_*_

 

_“You're a bad boy.”_

_Jack obviously, clearly hated himself. Why else would he put himself through a sentence like that when he knew, after their recent night out, that Rhys was someone he couldn’t have? Shouldn't want? He held the ECHO away from his face and groaned, running a hand through his hair. The thoughts of Rhys in the bath were eating him alive. That tight little body, all wet and bare, slippery and delicious; fuck, Jack would have him writhing._ Gods _, he was horny._

_“Jack?” Rhys’ voice crackled through the ECHO. The CEO brought it closer, hand unhooking his belt. “Are you there?”_

_He deftly undid his pants and pulled out his cock, stroking it and gulping back a small sob of pleasure._

_“I’m here, baby. Yeah. I’m here.”_ _  
_ _“Have you uhm, uh, sorted out the Torgue problem?”_

_Jack would rather not talk about work. “Let's not talk business, Rhysie. I’d rather talk all about you.”_

_Rhys breathed down the line, hot and heavy. He was clearly in disbelief that Jack had asked after him beyond workplace concerns._

_“M-Me?” he asked, all weak and pathetic, pretty unlike Rhys who was usually oozing confidence. Images of naked, confident Rhys passed through his mind once again and beads of precum leaked from the end of Jack’s dick. He strained to stay quiet as it wetted his length with each stroke._

_“Yeah, kitten._ You. _How’d you end up in robotics? You…” Jack turned his head to breath out. “You clearly know about a hell of a lot more than just robots.”_

_Rhys was quiet for a while. Jack listened closely but could only hear the occasional splash of water._

_“I got into robotics after uhm…” A pause. For thought? “After growing up on Rayvar with penniless parents and no access to support from any kind of local government. We lived...near a trash heap for a robotics company and they just threw out their_ fucking _spare parts.”_

_The anger and desperation in the word ‘fucking’ surprised Jack. He couldn’t understand the burst of rage but he supposed Rhys must have had a tough childhood._

_“I built beauty from that trash. I put together cleaning robots, gardening robots, goddamn robots were_ coming _out of my_ ears.” _Rhys’ voice was breathier and filled with a bit more fight than usual. Jack chewed on his lip as he went to town on himself, jolting now and again from the pressure. Kid must’ve been struggling to cope with reliving the memories. Poor sap. Right now Jack didn't care. He was too busy thinking about Rhys, soaked and spread open for him._

_“Figured I could go far. Join one of those companies and rocket to the top of the robotics game.”_

_“Well, here you are,” Jack said with ease, through his teeth._

_“Well here I_ fucking _am.”_

 

_The line went dead._

 

_*_

 

_Rhys slipped a bit as he sat back down into the bath from his previous standing position. He’d had to end the call because he’d come all over his hand two seconds later. His moan had echoed through the house and he’d thanked the gods he was home alone. He rinsed himself off, breathing hard, and hurriedly called Jack back._

_“Sorry! ECHO slipped and I almost dropped it in the water!” he lied, evening out his breath. Jack grunted on the other end of the line, remaining silent. “Jack? Hello?”_

_“Ngh...shit, one second.” He sounded...caught up? Data must have started coming in from Torgue. Jack would be swamped any minute. “Ah shit, babe, I’m seeing those numbers come up...You know the ones ...fuck...I gotta go. You understand.”_

_It cut off._

 

_*_

 

 _Jack jerked as he finished, spurts of cum lacing across the material of his jeans. He held the moan in, knowing Meg would hear if he let_ that _beast loose into the office. As the high of his release began to wear off, a blanket of misery draped itself over his shoulders._

 

_He was absolutely fucked._

 

_*_

 

_“You do realise we have to work tomorrow?” Yvette remarked, arching her eyebrow at the three neon-green shots Rhys had just brought to their table. The barkeep at the Gorgon, who recognised him from the other night, had poured him out some for free with a huge grin when it had been Rhys' round. With a wink, Rhys took them, knowing full well that the alcohol content in a single one was enough to get him tipsy as hell._

 

 _He couldn’t_ wait.

 

 _“_ You _have work,” he retorted, knocking one back and slamming the glass on the table. “But I…” He drank another and hissed. “...do NOT.” With that, he did the third and collapsed into the booth beside Vaughn, sidling up to his friend._

_“You’re gonna regret that,” Yvette sighed, sipping her beer. Rhys didn’t care at all. The booze was already clawing at the outermost reaches of his consciousness and the feeling was delicious._

_“So how’s things going?” Vaughn asked, tilting his head back and pointing to the sky. “Up there?”_

_Immediate thoughts of Jack sprang to mind and Rhys suddenly wished he’d invited the man along. He would, of course, have said no...but Rhys could dream._

_“Uh, hello? Rhys? Ya in there, buddy?” Rhys wiggled himself out of his reverie and found Vaughn waving a hand in front of his eyes. When Rhys blinked, the smaller man sat back and chuckled, taking a slurp of his cocktail._

_“Ch’yeah." Rhys smiled dreamily. "They’re going great. The things. With Jack.”_

_At this, Yvette grimaced. “Handsome Jack is dangerous, you idiot. Stop fawning over him and do your damn job.”_ _  
_ _Rhys shot her a look of disgust and jabbed the table with his finger. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Just the other day he sat down with two kids to teach them how to fix a problem they caused. He’s...misunderstood. He’s a good boss.”_

_“He airlocks people!”_

_“Yes! People who_ deserve _it!”_

_Yvette straightened, face paling. Vaughn flinched and looked away._

_“...Are you serious right now?” his female friend asked, placing down her drink. She folded her arms and glowered. “You’re going to justify that psycho’s actions to us?”_

_Rhys was becoming hotter by the second. He felt himself begin to sweat. The multitude of liquor in his system was catching up with him and now his friends were looking at him like he was some kind of monster?_

 

_They knew nothing._

 

_“Well, fuck you!” he snapped, standing so suddenly that the table rocked back and Yvette’s drink clattered to the floor. They all stared at the spot where it had been and Yvette clapped her hands and stood too._

_“Okay boy, is this how you wanna play it? You want me to punch you in the face to knock some sense into your dense skull?”_

_Clenching his fists, Rhys slipped out of the booth and swept up his own beer. He took a long swig before throwing it to the ground where it smashed._

_“Hey!” came the annoyed grunt of the barkeep._

_“I will_ not _be spoken down to by my goddamn friend,” he hissed. He could barely see straight, and swayed where he stood. However, he managed to kick the smashed glass out of the way as he approached Yvette. She met him halfway. There they remained for a moment, glaring at one another with what felt like intense loathing. Vaughn sighed and rolled his eyes, clearly knowing this would pass but irritated that it was happening nonetheless._

_Bzzzt bzzzt._

_Rhys glanced down at his ECHO on the table. Jack’s name screamed out at the three of them. Yvette sneered._

_“Go on. Answer it. Make sure you tell your beau hi from me. Tell him he’s a real fucking_ slice. _”_

“ _Screw you, Yvette. Sort out your damn attitude.” Rhys staggered to the side but picked up his ECHO before he lost his footing. “I’m_ leaving.”

_He was proud of the dramatic turn and strut he did on the way out of the bar, but did mouth Wilson an apology before he passed through the door._

 

_The ECHO was still buzzing when he got outside into the fresh air._

_“Jack, hey,” he muttered, checking his watch. It was half eleven. What the hell?_

_“Hey kiddo. Did I wake you up?”_

_“No. No no. No. I was uh...out with some…” He swallowed, a rancid taste in his mouth. “...friends.”_

_“You wasted?”_

_“Not wasted, no,” Rhys replied, stumbling into the elevator and gripping onto the rail to keep from falling. Not wasted at all. Nope. He giggled at himself, knowing that lying to Jack would probably get him killed. It was then that his mind floated back to what Yvette had said about airlocking and he broke down, cackling._

_“...You’re fucking wasted. Where are you?”_

_“I’m not drunk, Jack. I’m perfectly fine!” The snort he did along with this did not help his cause whatsoever. He heard a deep sigh on the other end of the line and could imagine that Jack was pinching the bridge of his nose. The elevator set into motion and he collapsed in the corner. Bracing himself against the wall, he closed his eyes._

_“What do you want me for, Jack?” he asked, smiling. “You don’t seem to be able to keep away from me today.”_

_There was a distant sound on the ECHO before Jack crackled into his response._

_“It was a thing- a thing with some codes I’m looking at - but right now you’re useless. Where are you? I’ll pick you up. Take you home.”_

_“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To take me home?” Rhys bit his lip and smirked. He heard Jack’s breathing falter._

_“Where. Are. You?”_

_With a yawn, Rhys slid to the floor and sighed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he said around another yawn._

_“For fuck sake, cupcake. I can’t have my number one guy dragging his drunk ass all over Helios and making a fool of himself. Not alone, anyway. That’s so freaking sad.”_

_Rhys opened his mouth to speak but the elevator slowed to a stop. He scrambled to his feet, almost falling back down in the process, as the doors pinged open and two large men stepped in._

_“Are you dead? Did you die?”_

_Rhys brought his attention back to the ECHO._

_“No, I didn’t_ die. _I’m just not alone now. I have to go.”_

_“Hello, sir,” said one of the men and Rhys finally brought his attention to the two people who’d joined him. They were big and burly and not like anyone Rhys had ever seen on Hyperion before. “It’s dangerous to be out alone.” They both stepped closer and the act was alarmingly menacing. “Especially for you.”_

_He stared at them for a second, jaw hanging open._

_“Excuse me,” he then snapped, pushing past them towards the elevator buttons. However, a large hand hooked round his neck and yanked him back, slamming him hard into the wall. The impact knocked the breath out of him completely and his ECHO device clattered to the floor._

_“You think you can just do what you did to Maliwan and get away with it?” one snarled, crashing his fist into Rhys’ face. The crack of the punch sent Rhys reeling but the other thug caught him and did the same on the other side. Agony wrecked his head and jaw and he could tell that his lip was bleeding. It was all too much - the alcohol was making it feel like he was living through a nightmare. He was unable to control his actions the way he wanted so he couldn’t fight off the evil that was fighting him. Another hit to the stomach. Rhys cried out, tears streaming._

_“Stop!” he shrieked, tasting blood on his tongue. But they didn’t stop. They kept pummeling his body, breaking him into pieces and laughing as they did so. It took one particularly powerful strike to finally send him into unconsciousness._

 

_*_

 

_“Hello sir,” came through Jack’s ECHO. Rhys hadn’t cut off and the CEO smirked; the idiot was bound to start embarrassing himself in front of employees. Bringing his hand up from his dick, he reached for his coffee mug and readied himself for what he knew would be a hilarious exchange. Gods, Rhysie was such a moron. He listened intently, smiling wide, but the smile faltered as the seconds ticked by. As he heard the words that were said, he dropped his coffee mug and raced to his computer. He went to shove his ECHO device into the machine, but missed the port a few times as he did so and almost threw the entire setup across the room. Sweat beaded on his brow and his heart raced. He tracked Rhys’ call as quickly as he could and the moment he had a location, he launched himself out of his office as fast as his feet could carry him, eyes wild with rage._

 

_*_

 

 _Rhys exhaled happily, hugging the pillow close to him and enjoying the warmth that enveloped him. Vaughn must’ve gotten that new bed he’d been banging on about and Rhys had flopped down on it last night. He stretched, eyes scrunching, and blinked slowly. A wave of hollow bewilderment washed over him as he did so, his brain trying to compute what he was seeing. He stretched a little more before pushing himself into a sitting position and rubbing his eyes. Upon opening them again, he gasped as he took in what he saw. He was_ not, _in fact, at home. No, this definitely wasn’t Vaughn’s room. The bed he was in was huge - ridiculously so, actually - and an enormous window stretched from floor to ceiling opposite him. He shuffled forward, leaning, and squinted. Elpis glowed orange beyond the glass, illuminating the dark room. His hands shot to his hair, dragging it back. How the_ fuck _had he ended up here? Had he been so drunk that he’d stumbled home with some random stranger? He buried his head in his hands. He was such a slut._

_“Mornin’, sunshine.” Rhys’ head shot up and he peered closely at Jack who had entered the room carrying a tray of what looked like food. He was only wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. Rhys swallowed hard. The man stopped halfway across the room and cocked his head to the side, smiling. “Wow. What a pretty sight.”_

_It was then that Rhys realised he was only dressed in his underwear and he hurriedly gathered up the sheets, pulling them closer. Meanwhile, Jack had continued his journey. He sat down beside him and placed the tray - laden with pancakes and orange juice - on the bedside table. Rhys didn’t have any words. He tried, but his mouth felt like jelly and only sounds fell out._

 

 _What was_ happening _?_

 

_Rolling his eyes, Jack chuckled before his eyes steeled over and his lip curled. Rhys had only ever seen that look a few times and it still chilled him to the core, despite the numbness he was feeling from the weird as hell situation he was in. Jack gritted his teeth._

_“You were attacked by some Maliwan fucks who’d somehow made it onto Helios.” Jack’s hardened gaze turned towards Elpis. His voice became smaller; softer. “They almost killed you.”_

_“How-”_

_Jack shook his head, bringing his eyes back to Rhys. “You didn’t end the call. I heard everything. I tracked you down and found you and…” He paused. “It really wasn’t good, kitten.”_

_But Rhys still couldn’t understand. He felt fine. He looked down at his body which was unscathed. Even the cut he’d gotten from cooking the day before had gone. What the-_

_“I managed to get you back here.” Jack shrugged. “Didn’t want people seeing you and you becoming the talk of Helios. Thought you might hate that.”_

_Rhys wrapped his arms around his knees and smiled a small smile into the comforter, tilting his head towards Jack. The older man’s eyes crinkled._

_“Thanks, Jack,” Rhys replied. “But how am I…” He sat up and patted his stomach. Jack’s eyes blew wide as the comforter fell away and Rhys_ thrived _. “How am I okay?”_

 

_Pushing himself to his feet, Jack crossed his arms and walked to the window and Rhys watched him as he went. He stopped at the glass, not facing the boy in his bed._

_“I have a whole stash of the highest quality insta-healths, babe. Laid you on my couch and stuck one in your heart, didn’t I?” The man’s voice wavered and something in Rhys had him slipping quietly out of the bed. There was a pull in his chest and a tightness in his throat. It was hard to breathe. He slowly padded across the room, care about his lack of clothes and tousled hair at the back of his mind. He approached Jack and reached out his hand, fingertips millimetres from the CEO’s shoulders, but stopped himself and curled his fingers back._

_“Jack,” he went to say, but his voice broke out in a whisper. Jack glanced over his shoulder, eyes meeting Rhys’. “Why did you do that?”_

 

_*_

 

_Jack’s heart thudded so loudly in his chest that it thrummed in his ears. There he was, his pretty little Rhysie, eyes wide and begging him for answers. So small and open, almost naked and there in Jack’s bedroom._

_“Because without you, Hyperion’s screwed. Now put on your goddamn clothes and get out of my apartment. My hospitality only lasts so long.” He pushed past, shoving down his emotions but was forced to stop when a cybernetic hand gripped tightly around his arm. “Get_ off _of me, Rhys.”_

_“Tell me the truth.”_

_“Fuck you.”_

_“And fuck_ you.”

_“I ain’t got nothing to say to you.”_

_He tried to pull himself away but Rhys didn’t let go. In fact, he tugged Jack hard and that arm be damned, Jack was forced around to meet the glare of his Head of Robotics. It was a showdown, and Jack would not be losing. It did, however, take everything in him not to rake his eyes up and down Rhys’ body. Suddenly, he crowded himself into the man’s space and backed Rhys up against the glass._

_“What do you want me to say, cupcake? What is it you’re searching for? Hmm? What do you_ want _?”_

_Rhys’ flesh hand balled into a fist and the tight grip around his arm was painful now. He opened his mouth to speak, clearly thought better of it, and clamped his mouth shut._

_“Go on,_ say it _,” Jack snarled, glowering._

 _“You,” Rhys snapped. "I want_ you." _Before Jack could stop him, he’d placed his robotic hand behind his neck and pulled him into a fucking kiss. Jack placed his hands against Rhys’ chest and_ pushed _but the man’s hold was strong. His flesh hand snaked around Jack’s hips and tugged them flush against one another._

_“Fuck sake,” Jack hissed, giving in and pressing Rhys against the glass before kissing him back. He hated himself - hated knowing what this would mean. Rhys’ hands were in his hair now and Jack’s were around his waist, sliding up and down so that he could drink as much of him in as he could._

_  
_ _While he could._

 

 _The kid tasted magical (probably because Jack had cleaned his damn teeth the night before) and Jack couldn’t get enough. He never wanted to stop and his dick was hard already. He_ _broke the kiss and chewed his lip._

_“I want you, Jack,” Rhys said in a long exhale, eyelashes fluttering._

 

_Jack's chest gave out. This couldn’t go on._

 

_“Gimme a minute, okay?”_

_Rhys smiled a little and nodded as Jack pulled away. He couldn’t stop to think so he marched full speed to his apartment’s office and fished out the small vial of purple liquid that would fix at least one of his problems but similarly create so many more. Wrapping his hand around it, he desperately wanted to crush it. Wanted it to cut into his palm and seep purple and red all over the floor. Instead, he made his way back to his bedroom where he found Rhys still there, waiting patiently by the window. His hands were behind his back and he looked_ beautiful, _the orange light of Elpis glistening off his eyes. Jack’s breath caught in his throat._

_“Oh kiddo,” he muttered under his breath. He clicked open the vial with one hand, making sure he kept eye contact with Rhys as he crossed the room. The kid caught him in his arms and tilted his head, closing his eyes and leaning forward. Jack swept a thumb across his lips, fighting the immense heaviness in chest. Rhys’ eyelids flew open as Jack opened his mouth with his thumb and tipped the vial into his mouth. “Oh Rhysie, I’m so sorry.”_

 

_*_

 

“Well, this is a fucking mess,” Jack growled, writhing against his restraints. Rhys groaned, allowing his head to fall onto Jack’s shoulder in defeat.

“You got that right,” he muttered. The bandits on the other side of the cave cackled with each other, bragging about their capture. Jack sighed, letting his head hang forward but he stilled as he felt the Atlas man’s fingers brush his own. Three fingers wrapped around two of Jack’s - all that they could manage. “At least we’re in this together.”

Jack allowed a quick grin to cross his lips before a bandit screamed at him and stalked across the cave towards him.

 _Yeah_ , he thought. _We goddamn are._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos if you likey likey and comments if you lovey lovey 
> 
> 0w0
> 
> BTW if you haven't read @marchpanes' 'Devil You Know' holy fuck balls it's the best rhack fic I've ever goddamn read pls go check it out.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOKAY
> 
> HELLO
> 
> Wow, I've had some AMAZING responses to this fic recently and every comment/kudos makes me weep. Thank you SO much for the support. 
> 
> This chapter was a bastard to write but has, incidentally, turned out to be one of my favourites so far. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

The bandit dropped down to his haunches, inches from Jack, pulling back his shit-covered mask and letting his deeply sunken eyes roam all over the Hyperion CEO's features. There was a wildness in the way his pupils darted around and the cruel, twisted smile on his lips was nothing short of maniacal.

" _God_ , yer a revolting fuck without that mask, ain'tcha?" he chuckled, patting Jack's cheek; Rhys balked - well _that_ wasn’t true. "Boss is gonna make me second in command when I turn over Handsome fuckin' Jack to him." He wiped his nose with his thumb and shuffled closer, eyeing the man greedily. "You'll be a trophy - best any of us will ever see." He patted Jack's cheek once again. Jack took a deep breath.

"When I'm out of these ropes," he growled, voice quaking with rage, "your thick bandit skull is gonna be _my_ trophy. I'll just make sure to bend you in half and shove your tiny dick in your mouth first before I chop your goddamn head off."

The bandit merely sneered before spitting at Jack and standing. Drool oozed off of Jack's eyebrow and it slowly slid down, down over his eye and continued dripping down his face. Rhys grimaced as he watched. With the way Jack's shoulders rose and fell, in tandem with his heavy breathing, he knew this guy would have been ripped limb from limb by now if Jack was free. The bandit in question now turned his attention to Rhys who met his stare with his own, glaring through narrowed eyes as if to say, "and what?". The bandit's smile dropped as he considered Rhys for a moment. His head tilted to the side and he bent over, peering at Rhys more closely.

"And what've we got here, fellas?" He glanced at Rhys' shorts. "Looks like some other ugly little shit that ol' Jack was using to get his rocks off!"

All of the bandits in the cave laughed at this while their leader took out a blade from his belt, sliding a finger along the sharpened edge. It caught the firelight and Rhys winced, noting the Atlas logo on the hilt. It was the new line they'd launched a few months back. Close combat weapons were something Atlas was pushing - guns weren't somewhere to start and stop. Atlas was making strides in new directions. Right now, however, Rhys wished Atlas didn't even exist. The knots around his wrists were tight and painful but he strained against them when the bandit dropped to his knees in front of him. They were only inches apart.

"Are you _blind_ ?!" snarled Jack suddenly. Rhys jumped and looked at him. "He's the opposite of ugly, you moronic _wankstain_ . At least give me the decency of not denying that I have fucking _taste._ "

Rhys couldn't contain the snort that followed and the bandit hissed under his breath, obviously not used to having to control a captive quite like Handsome Jack.

 

But they didn't know who _he_ was. They didn't know who _else_ they had tied up.

 

A sly smile sewed itself onto Rhys' lips. The bandits had recognised Jack instantly because the egomaniac had posters and billboards of his face plastered all over Pandora, whereas Rhys had never made his identity known. But squinting around at the bandits in the cave, he quickly noticed how the majority of their weapons were Atlas. Oh no, these assholes didn't have a _clue_ who they were dealing with. Granted, right now he was tied up and couldn't _do_ very much, but when he was out…boy, he'd rain hell on these idiots. Hyperion and Atlas combined hauling vengeful destruction...the idea curled around his brain, warm and new. Together they'd be _unstoppable._ However, his thoughts were rudely interrupted by a hand abruptly gripping roughly at his jaw, yanking his head up.

"Hey, _bitch_ . Listen to me when I'm _speaking_." Long, dirty nails dug into his cheeks, drawing blood. Rhys gasped slightly at the pain.

"Don't you fucking touch him," Jack snapped, straining against his ropes towards Rhys. Blinking fast, Rhys glanced at Jack - his heart beginning to pound - but the bandit grinned at Jack's words, let go of Rhys' face and then cracked a slap right across his left cheek. The pain and the burning sting made Rhys catch his breath. His wide eyes met Jack's own for a few moments but, after re-adjusting himself, his teeth clamped down together and he slowly brought his eyes to the bandit's, making sure an expression of pure disdain and loathing was wrecking his features. The bandit leant forwards and pressed the muzzle of his shotgun deep into the underside of Rhys' neck, finger on the trigger. Jack shifted uneasily beside him, fingers desperately trying to untie his restraints. Rhys' lip curled.

"You're going to kill me?" he spat. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Oh yeah?" the bandit laughed, pushing the gun in deeper. Rhys swallowed. "And why's that? Your pimp gonna get upset that he ain't getting his dollar?" Rhys opened his mouth to retort but the shotgun was pulled away, leaving him a little speechless. The bandit sighed and stood up straight, cracking his back as he did so.

"However fun it would be painting these cave walls with your insides, the boss would much prefer to do that himself. And two is better than one so you'd better be _grateful_ I'm sparing you." The bandit swung his gun back and aimed it between Rhys' eyes before letting it fall and cackling. His laughter ceased as quickly as it had come. "Load 'em into the truck."

 

*

 

They were on the road for a while, travelling north by Jack's calculations based on the position of the sun through the gaps in the truck's armour. They were alone, holed up in the cramped space, and the heat was stifling. Every rock and bump that the truck trundled over pounded up through Rhys' spine and he winced massively when a sudden sharp turn had him slamming into the wall.

"We have to come up with a plan of action," he muttered, pretty much to himself. He knew if he thought enough about it, he'd find them a way out. There was _always_ a way out. He refused to believe that, after everything, he was about to be snuffed out by some bandit scum out in the back of beyond. Jack groaned beside him, still working on his ropes but failing miserably.

"The irony of me getting killed by bandits is just gross." He growled his words through gritted teeth, words that echoed exactly how Rhys felt too. Rhys noticed that Jack's wrists were starting to bleed from his incessant attempts at escape but, nevertheless, the man kept trying. "I will _not_ die at the hands of these Pandorans. That ending would be too poetic for this planet; I'm directing my own fucking curtain call so that when I come back for the encore I can-” He writhed. “-goddamn-” He tugged and panted. “-not be an embarrassment to myself.”

Rhys cocked his head to the side. “I’m sorry? When you come _back_?”

Jack huffed a laugh and slumped, finally giving up on his attempts at freedom. He rested his head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. The beating in Rhys’ chest sped up as Jack sat in silence, blinking occasionally with a smirk stuck on his mouth.

“Well?” Rhys barked, shuffling over and kicking Jack in the shin hard. Jack yelped and scowled but resumed his snigger swiftly. “Jack, you can’t just drop that and expect me to gloss over it. What the _hell_ do you mean ‘when I come back’?”

Jack sat up straight. “You know how it is. Always gotta be at the top of the game. And when I’m at the top, I _win._ So there’s no point giving that streak up. May as well keep at it forever.” He lowered his eyebrows and kept Rhys’ confused gaze. “I don’t _die,_ babe _._ To die is to _lose._ And that’s also something I don’t do.”

A moment of silence passed between them. Rhys narrowed his eyes.

“You lost _me_.”

A look of surprise crossed Jack’s face before anguish took over. “I - what _\- excuse me -_ why do you gotta go be a dick and bring that up? I was _having_ a _moment_ of _soliloquy.”_

Rhys rolled his eyes and kicked out at Jack again. This time, the older man dodged and cackled, but grunted as they crossed over a large bump in the road. Rhys winced.

“Hey pumpkin, donkeys kick. Are you a donkey?” He paused. “I mean, you _are_ fucking hung like one.” Jack appeared to be disappearing into his thoughts. Rhys hissed, cheeks burning.

“Excuse _me_ . Explain yourself. _Now._ ”

Chuckling, Jack rolled his own eyes. “Okay! Okay. Christ, kiddo, always so _forceful_.” He whistled, winking. Rhys scowled.  “So you know I’ve always had body doubles that can stand in for me when I get bored, tired, busy etcetera etcetera.” Rhys nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow. He remembered Tim, Jack’s doppelganger, extremely well. “I’ve been working on some stuff with the New-U Station tech alongside a freakshow scientist who’s forever desperate to suck me off, touch me, get his hands on my DNA, I don’t know. All I know is that he’s on a mission to keep me going as long as possible. Which is how I roll. Because I don’t lose. Or die.” He clicked his tongue. “As you well know.”

“And this new tech...works...how?” Rhys was getting excited now. A fire ignited inside of him. “Tell me _everything_.” The shit-eating grin on Jack’s face, however, told Rhys that he wasn’t getting told shit. “Oh come on, you asshole.”

“Some things have gotta remain a _mystery_ , Atlas!” Jack beamed. “It’s what keeps _me_ interesting and _you_ on tenterhooks.” He clambered onto his knees, awkwardly making his way over to Rhys who eyed him quizzically as he got up onto his own knees, ready to face him off. Jack stopped when they were only an inch apart. “And kitten, keeping you wanting more from me is just the way I always want you.” He kissed Rhys then, suddenly and deeply. Rhys frowned a little, wishing Jack wasn’t as capable of rendering him speechless as he was, but kissed him back, sad that he wasn’t free to slap Jack for being a difficult piece of shit and then grab him by the shoulders and shove him to the floor to ruin him. Thoughts of what he would do to Jack as soon as he could entered his mind and his dick hardened, painfully obvious through his shorts. Jack snorted.

“And it looks like _you_ like it that way too.”

Rhys bit down hard on Jack’s bottom lip as punishment but Jack simply chuckled and kissed him harder. The truck slowed abruptly then, throwing them apart. The two men laughed despite themselves, irritating the bandit who threw open the doors when they finally came to a halt.

 

*

 

“Do you know how long we’ve been waiting to punish you, Hyperion?” the leader - “Infernus”, apparently? He was _repulsive_ \- roared from his makeshift throne. The camp they’d been hauled into was very outlandish, as most bandit camps were. This one did take it a bit far, though. Rhys glared around, barely listening to the conversation taking place between Jack and the bandit leader. He couldn’t locate a good escape route and well-armed bandits were everywhere. This wasn’t just a small group of them - this was organised and _hierarchical._ He hadn’t seen anything of the sort for a while on this side of Pandora. They were...pretty fucked. He shifted from foot to foot, bringing his attention back to the events taking place between Jack and Infernus. It was even more heated now, with Jack yelling and Infernus yelling back. Rhys sighed.

“Oh come on, you dense piece of shit,” Jack snapped, stepping forwards. “I’m offering you _money_ . So much _good, sweet_ money _._ ”

Infernus laughed, high and cruel. He leant forward in his chair. “And you think I’m stupid enough to let you go? You’ll just turn around and destroy us with moonshots when you get back to your castle in the sky.”

Jack opened his mouth to argue but slammed it shut and nodded. He looked back at Rhys and shrugged.

“That’s a fair statement.”

Rhys nodded and shrugged back.

“No, no,” Infernus muttered, shaking his head. He rose from his makeshift throne before advancing down the steps and approaching Jack with a wicked expression on his face. “No, I want to make a damn spectacle of you, Hyperion. I want to watch you _suffer.”_ His eyes slid to Rhys. He grinned. “I’ve heard that this one here is...special to you.”

A beat of silence. Jack’s wide eyes darted between Rhys and the bandit king.

“What the hell are you trying to say?”

Laughing, Infernus grabbed Rhys by the face and studied him closely. Rhys didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of a reaction so he simply glared back. The man smelled rancid - his teeth were yellow and sharp and his eyes were dull with age and sickness. Cogs of thought were clearly turning behind them.

“Fight him,” Infernus sneered eventually, squeezing Rhys tighter. “To the death.”

 

Rhys’ heart stopped beating.

 

“It’ll give us a little entertainment. And we need a little entertaining, don’t we boys?” A cheer erupted from the bandits around the camp. Knees going weak, Rhys chanced a look at Jack who had gone sheet white. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

“As if I care what you do with _him_.”

“Oh really? That so?” Infernus croaked, pulling a knife from its sheath and making to plunge it into Rhys’ heart. As the king moved, Jack let out a strangled noise and tried to lunge despite the ropes that still bound him tight. Infernus screeched with laughter before tossing the knife to the floor at Jack’s feet.

“Put them in the cells.”

 

*

 

_Nakayama walked him through the lab, gesticulating wildly as he shared the progress they had been making since Jack’s last visit. Jack folded his arms across his chest, drinking in the information._

_“So you see, the body is now fully formed and has been placed in cryo. The achievements we’ve seen over the past year have been phenomenal. The necessity of body doubles also falls into question. We could, in reality, now have two of you alive simultaneously. Maybe more…” Nakayama stopped dead, causing Jack to almost slam into the back of him. The scientist span on the spot and splayed his hands wide in the air. “_ Imagine _.”_

 _“Yeah yeah,” Jack remarked, waving him off and stalking past towards the set of double doors ahead. “There’s only_ one _Handsome Jack, baby. There will only ever_ be _one Handsome Jack.” He reached the door and waited for Nakayama to join him at his side. Jack’s eyes narrowed but his heart thrummed with excitement. “Now, show me the sexy, sexy corpse of the other one.”_

 

_*_

 

_The body had been incredible. As Jack sat drinking a cold beer, staring out onto the jagged landscape of Pandora, he contemplated just offing himself then and there so he could jump into that pretty little skin. No mask, no scars. No little grey hairs. He’d be twenty-five again. Taking a deep breath in through his nose, he smiled. He could make it to the ripe old age of ninety-nine and then come back and start all over again. That thought made him laugh. Handsome Jack? Live to ninety-nine? Nah. Someone would get him before that. He chuckled again, peering into the beer in his hand. Probably Rhys, just to make his inevitable end all the more fantastically awful and painful. Yawning, Jack scratched at his head and took a final swig, draining the glass. The fresh incision behind his ear twinged as he moved; he grimaced and set the glass on the table beside him._

 

_Great. His first collected memories were of a bad beer and the thought of a new nemesis killing him._

 

_A nemesis who was the only person alive Jack was afraid of and, ironically, the only person alive who Jack would think twice about before putting a bullet in._

 

 _And those, he knew, would be the sole reasons why Rhys - the CEO of Atlas and the love of his goddamn life - would be the only one who would_ ever _be in the position to bring about the inevitable end of Handsome goddamn Jack._

 

*

 

Rhys coughed from the dust that clouded up from the ground after he was untied and shoved to the floor of his cell. He heard Jack do similar. Scraping himself from the muck and collapsing against the wall, Rhys groaned. He spied Jack sitting opposite him, behind his own set of bars, waving. Rhys offered a small wave back.

“Ain’t this shit?” Jack remarked, letting his hand drop into his lap. “I was hoping that maybe I’d have at least a toilet.”

They both peered around their cells and Rhys noted the hole in the floor. He glared at it.

“I’m _not_ going to shit in a hole in front of you,” he exclaimed outright, looking between it and Jack and shaking his head. His nose wrinkled. “I’m _not_.”

Jack laughed and then sighed, resting his head back. “Well, it looks like I’m ending your life today so you may never _have_ to shit in front of me.”

Rhys made an indignant sound in his throat. “ _Excuse_ me? You think you can beat me in hand-to-hand combat? I’ve been training every day for _years_ , so I damn well know how to fight for myself.” He sniffed. “I mean, you can _try_ to kill me." He shrugged. "It’d be cute.”

Jack lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. “Oh I’ll try and then definitely succeed, cupcake. Better watch your back.” A smirk passed over his lips.  
A sudden thought popped into Rhys’ mind. He shuffled to the bars, gripping them hard. “Perhaps we don’t even need to be stressing about this. I just kill you and you come back, right? Apparently?” He spread his arms and grinned a wide, shit-eating smile. “What a _fantastic_ opportunity for you to _prove_ it!”

Rolling his eyes, Jack scooted over to his own bars. “Oh, shut up." His face grew serious. "Neither of us are gonna die today, Rhys. Not on my watch.”

The use of his actual, real-life name had the Atlas man falling back on his ass in surprise and blinking at the man opposite him. He couldn't recall the last time he'd heard it from Jack's mouth. His mind trailed back to Jack’s reaction to Infernus’ knife...to the look on Jack’s face when he was ordered to fight Rhys to the death. He thought back to the cave - before they were rudely interrupted - where they had...where they'd been _about_ to... _finally_....

He struggled to swallow around a new lump that had arisen in his throat which had become tight and dry in a very short space of time. He glanced about the tiny, dank prison room and dropped his eyes to the ground, voice small and defeated.

“Jack...we can’t...this is…" He took a deep breath and steadied himself. "This is looking like the end of the road.”

“Bull _shit_ ,” Jack snarled, climbing to his feet. He took hold of the bars and shook; they didn't even budge. “Son of a _taint_!”

“I... _Jack…_ god,” Rhys muttered, turning away from the Hyperion CEO and leaning back against the bars. He sighed. If he looked at Jack any longer, he knew he might not make it through his next few words. He looked down at his hands and at the broken excuse of a cybernetic arm. He thought about Jack saving his life. About Jack telling him why he’d never...why’d he’d held back and not… Rhys closed his eyes. A heaviness settled on his chest and he chewed down on his bottom lip for a while. His untamed, _stupid_ , giveaway heart battered his ribcage.

“We didn't get much time, did we?" he managed, swallowing. "Jack, if this is it-”

“Don’t you fucking speak like that,” Jack snapped, cutting him off. He clicked his fingers. “Look at me.” His voice slowed, growing softer. “ _Look_ at me, Rhys.”

Slowly, meekly, Rhys turned to face him. He got to his feet and wrapped his hands around his own bars, finding it incredibly difficult to meet Jack’s eyes but managing. Just. Their gazes locked and-

The door slammed open. Rhys immediately recoiled in bewilderment at what emerged into the room. A _loader bot_ stomped in and looked between him and Jack. Jack’s jaw dropped.

“Are we... _saved_?”

“SILENCE,” the bot barked, suddenly speeding up and standing right between them. “I have been instructed that you are high-risk prisoners and communication between you could be fatal to our cause.”

"But-"

An ear-splitting bang and a flash of light had Jack yelping and jumping to the back of his cell. A dark patch hissed on the floor near where his feet had been.

"I said SILENCE."

Rhys crossed his arms, regarding the robot. Thoughts of fear and desperation floated away as his business brain clicked into action. He cocked his head and looked more closely. It was an extremely old model, one from Hyperion's original production line. That had been way before Rhys had joined Hyperion. Before even Tassiter himself was on the throne. Someone had tampered with it - _obviously_ \- so it clearly no longer responded to Hyperion command. Rhys snorted. Of _course_ the bandits had this up their sleeve. Who wouldn't if the configuration was as easy as it was? Someone only had to have basic knowledge of robotics to recode an ancient loader like this. And if _they_ could do it... Rhys cast his gaze to his broken arm and flexed his fingers. If he had access to his systems, it would be a breeze; these fools would be toast. But instead it seemed that Rhys would just have to try this the old-fashioned way. One thing was for certain: those idiots, who'd assumed so little of Rhys, had just hand-delivered him a way out.

 

*

 

 _“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jack snarled, slamming through the doors and into Rhys’ office. He stalked up to the desk and jabbed a finger at Rhys. Three Atlas guards stormed in after him, guns raised. “Those Loaders are mine, you_ dick _.”_

_Rhys sighed, putting down his ECHO and leaning back in his chair. He placed his hands behind his head and grinned, both of which seemed to drive Jack even more insane._

_“Leave us,” Rhys ordered, looking past Jack at the guards in the doorway. They hesitantly glanced between one another and Rhys, but eventually realised they really_ weren’t _wanted and left, albeit apprehensively. Jack and Rhys were alone. Jack placed his hands on his hips and Rhys rolled his eyes._

_“No need to be dramatic, Jack,” he groaned, standing and matching his stance with a mocking smirk on his lips. Jack noticed and growled, dropped his hands to his sides and clenching his fists. Rhys chuckled. “Now, what was that about Loaders?”_

_In a blink, Jack had his hand on the gun at his belt. Rhys folded his arms._

_“Before you left Hyperion, you put some…" He pointed accusingly with the index finger of his free hand. "...some stupid coding bullshit into my robots!”_

_“Mmmm. Wrong. They were_ our _robots." Rhys placed his hand on his chest. "Well, technically they were_ my _robots, cos, y’know…” He then waved his hand in the air. “...I built them into what they are today. You just slapped your name across them and called them your own.” Enraged, Jack opened his mouth to speak but Rhys continued, choking on laughter. “Was it as hilarious as I'd hoped? Did they do the little dance? And shout ‘down with Hyperion! Fuck Hyperion!’?” He couldn’t hold it together any longer and collapsed back into his chair, weeping. Jack now had the gun trained on his chest and Rhys couldn’t breathe. He slapped his thigh and wiped his eyes but the giggles just kept coming._

 _“Ohmygod, they did, didn’t they? It worked! You sent your precious Loaders to do your dirty work and they_ danced _and_ belittled _you_ _in front of your_ _enemies! Oh_ shit _.” He slipped down further in his seat, crying. A bang. A bullet zipped through the back of his chair, just beside his head, but he couldn’t even bring himself to care. In fact, it just made him laugh more._

_“Fix it,” Jack hissed, the gun still pointing at him. “Fix it or I'll blow your brains out.”_

_Rhys swallowed his laughter and took a moment to breathe through the hilarity of the situation. He groaned again, sarcastic._

_“Why’d you have to go making everything so damn serious?” he grumbled, sitting up. “You’re so boring now. Anyways, just give me access to Hyperion’s robotic systems and I’ll have everything sorted in a jiffy.”_

_“Ha!” Jack lowered his eyebrows further. “You think that’s how we’re doing this?”_

_“Ha!” Rhys lowered his own to match and Jack’s anguish and finger tightened around the trigger. “You think there’s any other way to do it? I coded that in while I was still at Hyperion. It’s locked down so tight that those idiots who worked under me will never crack it and you’ll just have to deal with dancing, anti-Hyperion robots forever.” Rhys grinned and waggled his mocking brows. “Unless you let me back in.”_

_Jack balked and dithered, gun moving up and down ever so slightly. Eventually, he rolled his eyes and dropped it down fully, shoving it back into its holster._

_“So you’re tellin’ me that I_ have _to let you back in? By_ choice _?”_

_Rhys looked at his nails. “Unless you want dancing anti-establishment robots at your command, yes. Like I said.” He locked eyes with Jack and squinted. “Were you even listening before?”_

_Jack could have screamed. His heart was racing. Let Rhys in? After everything he’d ever seen Rhys do? Rhys was undoubtedly the best in the business of coding and programming.  This was Rhys giving Jack a small taste of what Atlas could do to him. He knew it was to show Jack why he should be wary and careful with the new CEO on the block. Rhys could bring down Hyperion as quick as Jack blinked. He could - he might…._

_“If you don't give me another fucking option, I will moonshot this shitty base out of existence.”_

_Rhys sat back in his chair and took a sip of the coffee that had been on his desk._

_“Can’t. Shields are impenetrable.”_

_Jack frowned. “Then I’ll send in my soldiers and fuck you up from the ground-”_

_“Can’t." Rhys took another sip. "Our countless high-speed turrets will pick them off before they even make it over the bridge.”_

_“Rhys, fuck, just shut up-” Something bounced across the desk. Jack watched it go until it rolled to a stop._

 

_It was an orange pen drive._

 

 _"The only thing on there is the original Loader coding. Only copy in existence. Get your robotics team to deconstruct it - you’ll see there’s no foul play on there.” Jack blinked down at it and then up at Rhys, who was positively beaming. “Oh, come on Jack. I knew you wouldn't let me in and I have to get my kicks_ somewhere _. All’s fair in love and war.”_

_Jack’s heart leapt up into his throat. What the f-_

_Rhys’ smile widened. “And boy, do I_ love _to piss you off.”_

 

*

 

“Get ‘em out here! It’s time!” shouted a bandit, leaning around the door to instruct the Loader. Rhys sprang away from it, fearing he’d been caught. When the bandit said nothing and the bot didn’t move, Rhys coughed a little.

“Do as he says,” he managed, hoping he’d masked it well enough. The Loader span and faced him.

“Then stand back please,” it ordered. Rhys stumbled backwards as the bot gripped the bars and just yanked the entire thing from the wall. Rhys stared, having not expected that method at all. It was almost laughable.

“Oh, what the _fuck_ !” the bandit snapped. “Stupid, _idiot_ Hyperion bots. I’m gonna kill Carl for this.”

Before any of them - Jack, Rhys or the bandit - could stop the bot, it did the same for Jack. “Oh man. Oh god,” the bandit gasped, clearly beginning to panic as the bot gently placed the bars to the side.“Just...just bring them out. Shit, the boss is gonna flip.”

Rhys and Jack followed the Loader Bot out of the prison room and into the blinding brightness of daylight. It was dulled by the fact that they were inside of a tent, but Rhys winced nonetheless. Jack was struggling beside him too, blinking furiously. The sound of an arena full of people was all-consuming beyond the tent door. Rhys and Jack chanced a look at one another and both smirked.

“Hey!” the bandit snapped, clapping at them. “Get over here, you assholes.” They followed the instruction and the bandit brandished two knives at them. “Make it a good show, won’tcha? We’ve been pumpin’ ourselves up for this.”

“Oh, we’ll make it a show,” Jack replied quietly, taking his knife and running a finger along the blade. Rhys placed his own blade between his teeth and knelt down to tighten his shoelaces, eyeing Jack as he did so. Jack watched him and if the bandit couldn't _smell_ the sexual tension in the room, there was something very wrong with him. Nevertheless, the bandit stalked over to the tent door and peered out. Jack grinned and helped Rhys to his feet, squeezing his hand as he did so. They gazed into each others' eyes and smiled knowingly.

 

“We'll make it one _hell_ of a show.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come follow me on twitter @_loki_dokey! :3
> 
> If you're interested in joining the rhack collab (go see the 'collusion' fic in my AO3 works for more info) then hmu on a dm on twitter!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT I'm DYING
> 
> Also this is the best chapter of this fic imo I'm like
> 
> I'm so excited for y'all to read it
> 
> COMMENTS MAKE MY HEART SWELL god and this chapter OMFG I NEED comments I'm DYING MORE

_ “Come onnnn, cupcake. It’s only two days. At most. I reckon. Yeah. Yeaahhh. Two days. Two.”  _

_Jack holstered his finger guns, crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels, raising an eyebrow at his Head of Robotics. He lifted his hand and wafted it in the air as though it would help him conjure his thoughts. “Isn’t your freaking aunt from Pandora or something? I don’t get it. You_ must _know how to shoot. How have you gotten here - to this point opposite_ me _of all people and_ _refusing_ me _of all people - without-without friggin'..." He sighed. "God, I can’t believe you’re being_ this _much of a pussy.”_

_ Rhys was leaning against the wall on the other side of the office, running a hand through his hair. His teeth had been worrying his lip but he immediately frowned, looked up and pouted indignantly at Jack’s statement. His jaw dropped. _

_ “Excuse me? I lived on Rayvar for pretty much my entire life before working here.” He pushed himself off of the wall and stalked over to the Hyperion CEO, who had perched himself on his desk. “Yes, I   _ do  _ have family on Pandora but that doesn’t mean that - by default - I know how to shoot a goddamn gun. So I am not a “pussy” when I say I don’t want to go, thank you very much. I don’t want to go because I’ll really, actually die down there.” Rhys gestured as he walked, looking like he’d just stepped out of a pantomime. Jack’s lip quirked up at the side. "I'll die from exposure to people who, you know” He waved his hands beside his head. “... _ can  _ use guns. Big guns. Nasty guns. And use them pretty damn well.”  _

_ Jack broke out into a smile as Rhys stopped a foot away. The irate expression on his face was just adorable; riled-up Rhys was certainly his favourite flavour, he’d come to realise. It was when he got confident and mouthy. It was when his perfected hair fell a out of place and his cheeks turned that delectable shade of pink. It was when Jack got a bit hot under the collar under his glare.  _ That  _ was particularly exciting because Jack had never gotten aroused by anyone’s glare but his own reflection’s before, yet here Rhys was. This little minx was certainly more than he’d bargained for.  _

 

_ And oh, how he  _ loved  _ it.  _

 

_ He was shaken from his thoughts when Rhys put his hands on his hips before him and huffed. Jack couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped him at the spectacle. _

_ “Hey, take a chill pill, you grumpy fuck,” he chuckled leaning forward and prodding Rhys in the chest. However, he’d only appeared to fuel the rage inside of Rhys. “Frown any more and that vein on your forehead might just explode.” Jack made an explosion sound and action as he leaned back.  _

_ “Take a… take a  _ chill pill _? I’m sorry, are you a fucking _ grandpa _?” Jack cackled at this. “That hasn’t been said in years. Oh my god.” Rhys pinched the bridge of his nose, screwing his eyes closed. “I’m not going to Pandora.” His hands dropped to his sides and clenched into fists as his eyes opened. “And that’s final.” _

_ It was then that the humour of the situation subsided and Jack started to get pissed off. He stood slowly, smile dissipating. Fun was over; this had gone far enough. Rhys had had his shining moment to give his CEO a little schtick because hey, it tickled Jack’s dick. Now it was time for the smarmy, cocky little shit to remember his place. _

_ “Come again?” Jack snarled as he advanced. Rhys took a silent step back as Jack took a purposeful step forward, but the lowered eyebrows and bitchy, tightly-drawn mouth remained. Jack continued on his war path with Rhys mirroring him but backwards, almost stumbling down the stairs as he went.  _

_ “When I give an instruction, I don't expect you to question me,” Jack snapped, licking his lips at the way Rhys’ eye twitched and at the way a small, startled gasp escaped him as he bumped into the column he’d been backing up towards. Jack’s fingers brushed the kid’s throat, the threat in his light touch and in his dark eyes clear as crystal. “Ya hear me? Rhys?” He noted how Rhys’ eyes widened slightly as he leaned in, so close that their noses were almost brushing. “When I  _ request  _ something of someone, they don’t say no. No one ever says no. Know why? Because,  _ babe _ , I'm Handsome  _ fucking _ Jack. CEO of Hyperion! King of Pandora!" He slammed a hand down hard on Rhys' shoulder, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. "And I'm the one in control of  _ everything _." _

_ Rhys muttered something under his breath and Jack nearly missed it. _

 

_ Nearly.  _

 

_ He didn’t. _

 

_ He delicately laced both hands around the kid’s tie and pulled. Jack’s mouth found its way to Rhys’ ear and he watched as goosebumps prickled up all over the skin. The tie grew tighter around Rhys’ neck and, with every word Jack spoke next, he just kept pulling.  _

_ "Eh? Sorry kitten, I didn't quite catch that. Say it once more for me." _

_ Eyes flashing with anger, Rhys gripped at the collar of his shirt and held the loop of the tie as far away from his throat as possible so that he could stay breathing. The fight in him was undeniable and - truth be told - Jack honestly found it sexy as f- _

_ "I  _ said,  _ maybe you just haven't met anyone yet who has the  _ balls  _ to remind you that you're  _ not  _ a damn  _ god _."  _

_ The utterance from Rhys’ lips caused a cold sensation to claw its way up Jack's spine as his brain tried to make sense of the words he’d heard. His searching eyes met Rhys'; they were hard as stone.  _

_ "What did you just-?"  _

 

_ It clicked before he’d even finished the sentence.  _

 

_ Rhys had been ready.  _

 

_ Jack growled and yanked Rhys’ tie hard but Rhys slid his legs through Jack’s, sending them both tumbling to the floor. The Hyperion CEO landed on top of Rhys with a heavy thud, knocking the air clean out of their lungs. Jack choked and gasped, rolling off of Rhys who was doing the same.  _

_ “You-little-shit-” Jack hissed, clutching his chest and glowering at the ceiling, trying to right himself.  _

_ Rhys coughed. “It’s true-though. Look-at-you.” Rhys’ sucked in a shuddering breath and gestured at Jack. “Gods dont--get wiped out-by a -fucking---a fucking  _ fall _.” He struggled desperately but nevertheless couldn’t contain a laugh. “Like I said-” He turned his head and gasped another breath. He pointed a shaky finger and grinned. “You’re a -- grandpa.” _

_ Jack stared at him with wide eyes before hacking out his own laugh, slamming his fist into his chest to get enough breath to continue. There they both lay for a while, unable to control their strangled snickers. _

_ Their laughter eventually died down and they caught their breath, laying side by side and admiring the metal craftsmanship of the ceiling above.  _

_ “I should kill you for that snarky comment," Jack sighed eventually, a small chuckle escaping him. “I airlock people for less. Why am I not airlocking you for that?” _

_ Rhys shrugged and rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow to look down at Jack.  _

_ “Maybe it’s because - without me - Hyperion wouldn’t make it through to the end of the financial year?”  _

_ “Pfft.” Jack rolled his eyes. “I would’ve figured it out without you.”  _

_ “Would you have known to reprogram the bots to infiltrate Torgue’s base in order to successfully collect the information I gathered last week? May I also remind you that I did it all single handedly? And - oh yeah - when I detected the discrepancies in Maliwan’s data and you were all like ‘woaaah how’d you dooooo that’ and ‘ohmygodddd Rhysiiiiieee, you could level an entire companyyyy with your profound knowledgeeee.’” _

_ Jack turned his head, eyes falling to mere slits as he took in Rhys lounging and smirking beside him.  _

_ “I kinda preferred it when you were barely breathing.”  _

 

_ They immediately went back to sniggering. _

 

_ * _

 

_ Rhys had a face like a slapped ass as he sat, hunched in the very corner of the shuttle, on the journey down to Pandora. His arms were clamped tight around his chest and Jack wished he’d brought a camera to snap a shot of him so he could frame it and laugh at it forever.  _

 

_ * _

 

_ “You fucking idiot!” Jack yelled across the hall before leaning around the wall to fire at another of Maliwan’s soldiers. “You dumb fucking idiot!” _

_ “Well, I’m  _ sorry _?!” Rhys screeched back, voice dripping with sarcasm. He huffed and narrowed his eyes. “You were the one who forced me down here! Idiot!” _

_ He was crouching behind his own wall which had, by this point, been shot to absolute shit. Large chunks had been blasted away and the holes left behind were visibly smoking. _

_ “Oh my god, oh my  _ god, _ I’m gonna  _ kill  _ you,” Jack hissed. “I’m gonna kill you as  _ soon  _ as I’m done killing  _ these  _ assholes.” He fired a few more rounds and then squatted, jabbing his finger at Rhys, then at the floor by his feet. “Get over here!” _

_ Just as he went to do as he was told (for once, Jack thought) Rhys shrieked as a bullet zipped past him so instead fell back on his ass, clutching the pistol he’d been given to his chest. Jack’s eyes blew wide and he stared at him in disbelief. _

_ “I said get over here!” _

_ But Rhys simply shook his head and whimpered. _

_ “Jack…” He gritted his teeth as Jack raised his gun and pointed it directly at him.  _

_ “Don’t.  _ Move _.”  _

_ A shot fired. Rhys screamed and screwed his eyes shut, ready to be brought to an inevitably grisly end. It made sense, really; he’d pushed it too far. He’d run his stupid mouth too much and here Jack was, finally killing him for it. Yes, yes - it definitely made sense. He took a breath, assuming it would be his last, and held it.  _

 

_ He’d just called  _ Jack _ an  _ idiot.

 

_ The bullet, however, zipped straight past his ear and embedded itself into the skull of the Maliwan fighter who had been creeping towards him. Rhys learned this when he slowly turned around - grimacing massively - and laid his eyes on the man sprawled on the ground, leaking blood from a fresh hole in the centre of his forehead.  _

_ “Oh my god,” he whined, prodding at the body with his foot and almost throwing up when it didn't move. Not that he had expected anything more. “Oh my god. I can’t believe you brought me down here.”  _

_ “Neither can I,” Jack moaned, sighing. He’d crept over to Rhys and shoved him on the arm roughly. Rhys winced and hissed, looking back at Jack and rubbing his shoulder. Jack frowned further. “It didn’t even cross my mind that you would actually be a real baby. Like, a genuine, genuine baby.” The sound of more soldiers echoed down the hallway. “You’re lucky I need your brain when we get in there," he said, gesturing with his head towards the control room. "Otherwise it’d be in a worse state than this sorry bastard's.” Jack then pointed his gun at the dead man on the ground. Rhys couldn’t look at him again because he thought that, if he did, he might just be sick in his mouth. Instead, he let out another whine.  _

_ “Oh, get it together, Rhys!” Jack snarled, reloading his gun and cocking it before jabbing Rhys in the ribs with it. “If you don’t start learning to defend yourself and fight, how do you expect to get any further in life than Head of Robotics?”  _

_ Rhys’ jaw dropped at the implication of Jack’s words but he had no time to think on it further because the door burst open and three Maliwan operatives rolled in with their guns poised.  _

_ “Give it up, Hyperion!” one shouted, voice masked by a modulator.  “You’re not getting access. They’re on their way here. By the time you get to the-” He was cut off by two bullets straight to his throat. He stood there a moment, still as a statue, before gargling out his unspoken words and sinking to the floor. _

 

_ Jack’s jaw dropped as he turned to look at Rhys, whose gun was smoking from the chamber. They both stared at the weapon and then at each other. _

_ “I...I did that,” Rhys muttered in disbelief, unable to blink or even breathe. Jack's hand slowly came to rest on Rhys' shoulder.  _

_ “Holy fuck, babe. Cutting him off like that as he spoke? With shots to the goddamn windpipe?!” Jack let go, leaned round the corner and shot at the advancing soldiers, missing one but getting another in the leg. He turned back to Rhys. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more turned on by anything in my entire life. Shit.”  _

_ Trembling, Rhys slid down to the floor with his back to the wall, holding the gun in his open palms and staring at it. Jack kicked him in the shin.  _

_ “Do it again.”  _

_ “I can’t!” _

_ “Oh for fuck  _ sake _!” With that, Jack stood tall, rounded the corner and landed one carefully-aimed bullet in the head of another soldier. “God, it’s not like it’s even hard to put down these assholes,” he breathed in anguish. “Get up, Rhys.” _

_ Rhys peered round the corner and closely examined  the hall. He noted that they were all dead besides one who had blood pouring from a wound on his thigh. He was groaning and crawling towards an abandoned gun. Deciding that it seemed safe enough, especially with Jack by his side, Rhys emerged and ran a sweaty hand through his hair.  _

_ "Remember back when I called you a pussy?" Jack mused irritably, stepping over a body and stalking up to the injured man. "And you got all defensive?" He kicked the man over and pointed his gun at his chest. "Ch'yeah," Jack grunted, glancing over his shoulder. "You're a pussy."  _

_ Rhys tried to scowl but it fell flat as realisation sunk in.  _

 

_ He  _ was  _ a pussy.  _

 

_ A coward. _

 

_ "Yeah y'are _ ,"  _ Jack chuckled. Rhys flushed scarlet, suddenly noticing that he'd been speaking aloud. "A real daisy." _

_ "Please!" Both Hyperion men eyed the man below them. The soldier yanked off his mask and Rhys' stomach turned when he saw that he was only young, maybe even only just eighteen. "Please don't kill me." Tears were staining his cheeks and he looked up at Jack with large, round, watery eyes. Rhys also looked to Jack. The CEO's jaw was set, teeth clamped together as he glared down at the boy. Rhys lifted his hand, ready to place it on Jack’s shoulder and beg him to step down. - ready to tell him to leave it and move on. But his hand stopped in mid-air when Jack spoke to the recruit.  _

_ "You touch that gun? You're dead. You try and pull anything? You're dead." He crouched down and inspected the wound on the kid's leg. It was oozing aggressively. Jack pointed back in the direction from which they had come. "There's a med pack on the wall down the hall. You get to it? You live. You don't?" Jack shrugged. "Not my fuckin' problem." _

_ A moment of silence passed as the meaning of Jack's words sunk into both the Maliwan soldier and Rhys. Rhys smiled a little to himself as the boy struggled to his feet, nodded at Jack and limped down the hall. Clambering to his own feet, Jack sniffed and holstered his gun. He turned to Rhys with his mouth open ready to bark some kind of order but when he noticed the silly grin on Rhys' face he stopped. _

_ "What?" _

_ "You really do continue to amaze me, Jack," Rhys replied, sounding a bit giddy. Jack merely snorted and rolled his shoulders before cracking his neck.  _

_ "Rhysie, baby, if you wanna get on your knees, part my cheeks and lick my ass,” Jack clicked his tongue, “all you gotta do is ask." _

_ This seemed to jolt Rhys out of the reverie he was having. He immediately shook himself and blushed a violent shade of crimson before muttering to himself and pushing past Jack who was, once again, cackling at him. Though, really, Jack shouldn't have said anything at all. The image of Rhys going down on him was almost too much to bear and his dick jerked enthusiastically in his pants. He followed behind it after Rhys, who burst into the control room and beelined for the computers without a word. He worked fast and silent, fingers flying over the keyboard and his cybernetics fluidly aiding him as he went. Jack had his job (given to him by Rhys before they had set off from Hyperion) and tried his best to just get on with it but couldn't help his gaze drifting to his Head of Robotics. In the dim light of the room, with his eyebrows furrowed and cheeks still rosy with embarrassment, Rhys was quite something to behold. He slotted in a pen drive, absentmindedly poking his tongue out in concentration. Jack could have had a heart attack over how adorable he found it. Instead, he kicked himself into gear and focused back on his task.  _

_ "How are you doing?" Rhys asked a few minutes later. "I'm almost there." _

_ Jack went to speak but the sound of shouting voices echoed outside. It was distant, but definitely close enough to be of major concern.  _

_ "Me too," Jack replied. His download was at ninety-seven percent; his fingers drummed on the desk, waiting for it to finally bleep so that they could hit the road. His heart began to thud. In this room, they were cornered and he was stuck with Rhys of all people. He wouldn't be complaining about that if it hadn't been for the impending Maliwan doom that would soon be raining down upon them that Rhys would never be able to help with.  _

 

Bleep. 

 

_ "Thank fuck. It’s finished." _

_ "Yup. Same."  _

_ With that, they both threw themselves either side of the door, guns drawn. Chests rising and falling with their recent achievement and anticipation of another firefight, they raised their weapons to their hearts and their eyes met briefly. Then they met for longer as they realised each was staring at the other.  _

_ "Take a picture, Jack." Rhys smirked, cheeks  _ still  _ pink. "It'll last longer." _

_ Jack smirked back, ignoring the intense pool of heat in his groin.  _

_ "Can't help but stare, babe. You look damn delicious up against that wall like that. You finally look like you're ready to stop being a candy-ass! It's just difficult to comprehend, that's all." He followed his words with a wink. _

_ Rhys shot him a glare. "When we get back to Hyperion, I'm going to train every day. Every damn day. I'm going to be the best shot, the best fighter, the best freaking  _ assassin _ that Pandora has ever seen." _

_ Jack rolled his eyes and fell into laughter, struggling to compose himself as the voices outside grew louder still.  _

_ "Oh, kiddo. I'd pay good money to see  _ that. _ " _

 

_ * _

 

Rhys had Jack pinned in under thirty seconds. Despite the plan to dance - to pretend and to play as nice as they could before the bandit crowd - the two men had seemed to let that idea fall away when they’d finally been facing one another across the arena. The Pandoran sun had glinted as it had begun to set over the top of the stadium’s walls, casting the arena into a deep orange light. As they had stood opposite one another, their shadows long and stretched in the dirt, their eyes had caught the dying sunlight and smirks grew on their lips. They were both taken back to years ago, to that moment at the Maliwan outpost, though neither knew what the other was thinking. Jack suddenly saw the fight as an opportunity to bring Rhys down to size. Rhys immediately saw the fight as a chance to show Jack just how far he had come. 

 

And boy, had he come  _ far _ . 

 

Jack only fully realised and accepted this when he was slammed down onto his back, a metal hand wrapped around his throat. A knife’s edge was resting lightly against his Adam’s Apple, catching the orange and pink clouds floating above in its mirrored blade. In the far distance - far beyond  _ Rhys _ … god,  _ Rhys _ \- Infernous was howling with joy and his bandit horde was shrieking wildly. Jack couldn’t care less. Rhys was fully straddling him and had just knocked him on his ass in next to no time like he’d…

 

...like he’d been training every day for  _ years _ . 

 

The onslaught of thoughts and sensations strapped themselves into Jack’s mind and he was  _ reeling _ . 

 

It was looking like he was going to have to pay up. 

“Well, here we are again,” Rhys murmured, grinning and sliding the tip of his tongue across his top lip. He leant a little closer and Jack pushed his crotch up against Rhys’ ass as Rhys grinded down just enough to be invisible to those watching but devastating to the man below him. Jack was already hard, and not being able to rip Rhys’ clothes off then and there was killing him more than the sharpened blade at his neck. 

“You learned to fight,” he breathed, air now difficult to swallow. There was heat in his chest, something forcing his breath and words to fall short. His head was hazy, filled with dangerous thoughts which, if he acted on, would have them both shot and killed. 

“I did,” Rhys replied proudly, suddenly using his cybernetic hand to take both of Jack’s wrists and pin them above his head. Rhys leaned in as he did so, his mouth brushing Jack’s cheek. “I guess you could say that  _ I’m  _ no longer the pussy.” 

“You suggesting _ I _ am?” Jack grunted, blinking. 

“You’re not exactly fighting back.” 

Jack pushed up, ensuring that Rhys felt his solid length against the curve of his ass. Rhys smiled with him.

“If that isn’t fighting back, I don’t know what is.”

“Get on with it!” Infernous screeched, drawing their attention back to the fact that there were more than a few dozen pairs of bandit eyes boring into them. “You’ve got him right there!”

The slight distraction was all Jack needed. He hooked a leg around Rhys and flipped them over, using the action to spring away and wield his knife with a shiteating grin.

“What was that about not fighting back?” Jack roared, loud enough for the assholes around the stadium to hear. “You don’t have what it takes to defeat  _ the  _ Handsome Jack!” 

Rhys rolled his eyes as they began to circle one another, knives at the ready. Infernous was on his feet in the crowd, watching them intently. He wore a new expression of distrust. 

 

Jack laughed.

 

He sprang at Rhys, crowding him up against the wall of the arena. It was, ironically, made from an old Hyperion-issue ad with Jack's huge face plastered on it. The eyes had been gouged out but his wide, toothy grin remained. It was the same as he wore in the present, his knife inches from Rhys' heart. 

"You gonna break my heart, Jack?" Rhys asked in a near-whisper, smiling, his own knife poised and ready to stab Jack in the stomach. His eyebrow quirked up. "After everything?"

Jack's grin dropped. They both looked down at the tip of the blade that now pressed into the material of Rhys' shirt. As Rhys continued ogling it, Jack glanced back up. 

 

His heart stopped. 

 

Rhys looked absolutely  _ beautiful _ . His hair was a tangled mess and he was covered in spatters of dirt along with old, dried blood. He was bruised and battered by the wiles of Pandora, yet he still wore an expression that told everyone who could see that Rhys wouldn't be taking their shit. Would Jack break his heart? Could he ever break his heart? The heart of this man, the CEO of Atlas, who stood before him who was…? Who was?

 

Rhys was…

 

And a deeply unsettling thought entered Jack's mind then, in the corner of an arena filled with crazed bandits, under the watchful eye of the setting Pandoran sun, away from the lives they both knew and thrived in. 

 

He was bare. Open. Vulnerable. 

 

Yeah, Jack cared for Rhys. He knew he'd always loved the idea of him, that much was true at least. 

 

But what hit Jack like a freight train in that very moment was that, after  _ everything _ \- the years, the betrayals, the fights, the rivalry, the denial - Rhys was, undoubtedly, all Jack ever wanted. And god, did he  _ never _ want to break his heart. 

 

Something flashed across Rhys' eyes, drawing Jack from his thoughts to notice the stadium was filling with boos and jeers. They both tensed before relaxing, a sly smile slipping onto both of their mouths. 

"Stop,  _ no _ , I'll kill them  _ myself,"  _ Infernous growled to the bandits trailing behind him. He was now in the arena and stalking towards them with a shotgun ready in his fat hands. "This was a fight to the  _ death _ , not a chance to catch up!"

Rhys' smile only grew wider and Jack tossed their knives to the floor, grabbing him by the waist.

"Loader Bot! Now!" Rhys yelled as the two CEOs threw themselves to the ground. They watched as the robot flew in and slammed down into the arena, wasting no time in using its machine guns to wipe out bandit after unsuspecting bandit. Infernous screamed as bullets riddled his back, some even making it straight through his body and into the dirt before him. Blood spilled out of the wounds the bot had caused and Infernous, along with what looked like every other bandit in the arena, fell. Any that were crawling or writhing were swiftly put out of their misery by the Loader Bot as it flew around the stadium. 

 

As the sound of gunfire dwindled to silence, Rhys peered out from under Jack to see if their plan had succeeded. He let out a withheld breath when the only sounds to be heard were of the wind and the robot checking each corner of the arena for good measure. Jack pushed himself into a position where he could look down at Rhys and he smiled at him, letting a thumb stroke his face. 

"You're a goddamn genius, babe," he muttered, words reminiscent of times gone by. His face was serious but Rhys chuckled, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and went to pull him in for a kiss but Jack leant back and shook his head.

"No." The word fell from his lips and, to Rhys, it stung. Jack continued stroking with his thumb and brought their faces close together, noses brushing. "No, Rhys. I wanna…" His voice was a whisper. "I-I gotta…" 

And so Jack closed the distance between them, slowly and deliberately. He kissed Rhys deeply, hand cupping his cheek as though he were something delicate and breakable. Rhys gasped a little, surprised by the unfamiliarity of what was taking place between them. He was so used to ferocity and battles for dominance with Jack. No, this was…

 

This was something else entirely.

 

Jack's hand slid behind Rhys' neck and angled his head as Rhys propped himself up on his elbows. The way they dug into the rocky ground was painful but he didn't care. Not at all. He couldn't - not with the way Jack was holding him and kissing him. It was sweet and passionate and it shocked Rhys to the core.

 

Did Jack? Could Jack?

 

...Were they both? 

 

No...no that couldn't be right. 

 

Jack had admitted earlier that day that yes, feelings were there. That he cared for Rhys and hated that his denial had forced him to become 'Atlas'. But those were the results of a crush. An infatuation. Surely? This though…the way Jack's tongue slid into his mouth and made Rhys' eyelids flutter...this felt like more than just infatuation. Rhys' hands were on Jack's face, trying to pull him impossibly closer. 

"Jack, I-"

"Rhys…"

They separated an infinitesimal distance, eyes glazed and wet lips parted.

"I'm...I…". 

"What the fuck's happening here?!" came a screech. They both glanced over to a group of bandits who had emerged from the door to the arena. They had their guns drawn and were staring about, obviously trying to comprehend what they were seeing. 

 

They hadn't noticed Rhys and Jack yet. 

 

"Rhys, what do we-"

A finger on his lips. "Whatever you do,  _ don't _ let go."

Jack's eyes widened before he smiled, a warm feeling blossoming in his gut. 

"Oh baby, I'm  _ never _ letting go."

An odd expression passed over Rhys' face before he grabbed Jack's hand and opened his mouth.

"Loader Bot! Get us outta here!" 

Everything that happened next happened fast. Loader Bot responded to Rhys almost instantly, zipping over and picking up the two men around their waists. The bandits who'd stumbled upon the carnage began shooting and bullets pinged off of the bot. Thankfully, luckily, none hit Jack or Rhys. Loader Bot sprang into their air and propelled them out and over the wall into the tawny Pandoran sky. 

"Holy shit," Rhys managed, cautiously crawling onto the bot's shoulder as they flew through the air. Jack did the same on the other side and they both looked at one another and then down at the planet growing smaller below. 

"Ditto," Jack breathed, running a hand through his hair. "Holy.shit. They barely missed my leg-"

A hand clasped around his again.

"That's  _ not _ what I'm talking about." Rhys was searching Jack's face, lip buried under his teeth. "You  _ kissed _ me."

Jack knew exactly what he was talking about but grinned anyway. "Well, I've kissed you a  bunch now." 

The hand around his tightened.

" _ No _ ," Rhys sighed, shifting across the flying bot a little. "No, you know what I mean...right?" 

Jack swallowed around a lump in his throat. He also moved closer to Rhys.

"I detect unusual developments in your heart rates," Loader Bot announced, cutting through the tension. It paused. "I'm feeling very uncomfortable. Please do not partake in any sexual activities on, around or within this unit."

"Hey, Loadie, way to ruin the moment," Jack groaned, slumping back into place. "Also, within? Is that a  _ thing _ ?" 

"I have...heard of things," the bot replied. "There are people on this planet who take great pleasure in-"

"Okay okay!" groaned Jack, patting the metal casing below him. "Too much information. I don't...I don't wanna hear any more." He looked to Rhys. "Where's this hunk of junk flying us?"

"I put in the coordinates of that Hyperion base we were originally headed to… if that's okay?" He chewed his lip again. "I knew it was close by."

"It's  _ perfect _ , Rhysie."

 

*

 

The Loader Bot landed just beyond the gates of the small facility. The size surprised Rhys; Jack was usually so ostentatious in all of his architecture. The place they'd arrived at was tucked away in the side of a mountain, barely visible if you didn't know what you were looking for. Night had fallen, casting Pandora under a deep blanket of darkness, the only light coming from a pair of windows high up, set into the rockface.

"Wow, this place really  _ is _ under wraps, huh?" Rhys evaluated after instructing Loader Bot to illuminate the path ahead. "And you're just gonna walk the CEO of the Atlas corporation right through the doors?" He looked at Jack and waggled his eyebrows. "Some would say that was a risky move."

Jack let out a chuckle and shook his head before gazing up at the night sky above them. Rhys joined him. It was a clear night. The stars blinked down at them and a comet was slowly making its way between them towards some other distant world. 

"A few days ago, the idea of letting you anywhere near this place would have sent me to a goddamn early grave," Jack said, still stargazing. A smirk passed his lips. "Because, as you well know-" He brought his eyes to Rhys. Rhys blinked at him. "-you're an asshole." 

"I resent that."

"Resenting isn't denying," Jack beamed, clicking his tongue. Rhys rolled his eyes. "Anyway. What I'm trying to say is that...uh…" His smile fell away. "That...well, Rhysie, the thing is, the last day has been...um…"

It was very unusual for Handsome Jack to be lost for words. It was very clearly agonising him. So, Rhys did the only good, just thing that would speak the words he knew Jack was trying his best to say. Rhys kissed him - just like that - arms around his neck and a smile on his lips. Jack stumbled back with the impact but quickly responded with a delectable, passionate fervour that had Rhys' head spinning. A hot, desperate tongue slipped between his lips and he moaned a little, hands moving to hold Jack by his face. He needed something to make him feel grounded or he was certain he'd float away, past even the comet that trailed above.

Suddenly, Jack shivered and broke the kiss, leaving Rhys reaching out with his mouth for more. His hands were buried in Jack's hair and his tight little shorts were far tighter than usual. 

"We need to get inside. I'm fucking freezing and…well..." He took a moment to consider Rhys, cocking his head to the side. His tongue swiped across his bottom lip "And I just need to see you naked asap, I guess." His shrug and smirk had Rhys' knees buckling, but he held it together and stepped away from Jack to brush himself down.

"Such a request of the CEO of Atlas will need to be given in writing," he stated matter-of-factly, folding his arms. Jack stared at him for a moment before holding his hands in the air as though asking Rhys to wait. He dropped to his knees and raked his index finger in the soil which had Rhys groaning and casting his eyes to the heavens. 

 

He was in love with an idiot. 

 

As the thought passed through his brain, his heart gave out. 

 

Was he...was he really,  _ actually _ in love with Jack? With Handsome Jack? After all these years had he finally made up his mind? He had always had a crush on Jack, since before he'd even become Head of Robotics. He'd obsessed over him back when he'd been a lowly code monkey on his first day at Hyperion, typing away meaningless streams of code whilst gazing up at the poster he had pinned in his cubicle. It was a motivational one, with Jack grinning in that stupid way he did with his thumb up, the slogan  _ 'Work Yourself to Death, or I'll Kill Ya Myself!'  _ plastered across the bottom. It had been the least sexualised image he could find in his collection to hang up on the wall where people could see. 

 

He'd assumed his 'Handsome Jack limited edition Valentine's Day wall calendar' would have caused premium gossip around the office. 

 

His crush had changed, of course, when he began working more closely with Jack. When he'd been promoted to head of the entirety of Hyperion's robotics division, he'd had to step into big boy boots and enter the board meetings with Jack sitting at the opposite end of the table. That had been the beginning of his crush changing into something more. Jack was there - tangible and present. Rhys could  _ smell  _ his cologne now, not just imagine it. But then, getting to know Jack through the Adversary project...going through all that they did…Rhys supposed there had been love growing even then. 

 

And so came Atlas. Rhys and Jack, head to head as rivals. Years had passed.  _ Years.  _ Things had changed. They'd grown apart, gotten on with their own business for the most part. Really, they'd become nothing more than acquaintances in the end, the flicker of love extinguished. True, Rhys' crush had never truly disappeared, but being away from Jack had helped to keep it under control. 

 

But then the bomb on the shuttle. 

 

And then all that had happened to lead to this moment with them kissing under the stars in a way that felt like it was something that had always been on the cards. They'd been through a lot together, both today and over the years.  

 

And what  _ was  _ love, really? 

 

Rhys looked down at Jack, hunched over and, scribbling into the dirt, and couldn't help the small sound of elation that escaped him. Jack  _ was  _ an idiot. 

 

But Atlas be damned if he wasn't deeply, stupidly in love with him. 

 

Jack clapped as he stood, rubbing his hands together. He was grinning that  _ stupid  _ grin - just like the one from that poster - and was almost dancing from foot to foot.

"Well?" he said, but then noticed Rhys' expression. "What?" Rhys was smiling in such a way that he was almost glowing. "Hello?"

Rhys visibly shook himself and blinked fast. "N-nothing! Nothing."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, right. Okay." He rolled his eyes down to look at the ground. "At least check out what I did for you." 

With that, Rhys stepped around and peered down at the impressively large amount of words that were carved into the mud. 

 

_ To the sexy CEO of the Atlas corporation, _

_ I, the Handsomest of Jacks, hereby request that you agree to let me take you into my super secret Hyperion facility and completely ruin you in the bedroom I have here. I promise it's nice - there'll even be a chocolate on the pillow. Whadda ya say? Ready for the best night of your damn life? _

_ Love HJ (Handsome Jack, FYI).  _

 

The little 'love' in the signoff had Rhys' heart hammering. Nevertheless, he snorted down at the message and shoved Jack on the shoulder.

"You're such a nerd."

"Is that you accepting my request?"

Rhys turned to him and placed his hands on Jack's hips, kissing him quick. 

"If there's no chocolate, I'm walking straight back out."

A pause. "That is  _ totally  _ fair." Jack jerked a thumb at the gates, other hand finding Rhys'. "Shall we?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Nearly 50,000 words later and we're finally here. Good god damn. 
> 
> I hope you like it. It killed me to write this chapter because, y'know, I hope I did you all justice. You've read this far and I GODDAMN HOPE IT WAS WORTH IT 
> 
> GO ENJOY
> 
> <3

Two security guards confronted them at the gate. Jack, Rhys and Loader Bot approached with their hands in the air; they were screeched at to turn around and walk away, or else face immediate termination of their existence. Rhys hissed when a sudden, immense burning sensation gripped at his upper arm and bled down it like fire and ice combined - right to the tips of his fingers. His arms dropped and he clutched at himself with a whimper. Jack quickly eyed him but Rhys shook his head. He was fine. It was just...a trapped nerve. It was gone as soon as it had arrived.

 

Yes. A trapped nerve.

 

Not stopping in their advance, the guards raised their guns higher and took tentative steps forward. It was only when one of them stopped and threw up a hand to halt the other that it appeared they realised something was amiss.

"...H...Handsome Jack?" the closest one spluttered, raising his visor to reveal antsy, disbelieving brown eyes. "Is that _you_?"

"It can't be," the other grunted, continuing towards them. "Jack's dead."

"Well, I'm not."

"He _sounds_ like him," the unvisored guard stammered, his poised gun dropping slightly.

"Modulator."

"But...but _look_ at him! He's got that symbol thing I've heard about on his face…and he's...he's..."

"Handsome?" Jack offered, grinning massively. Rhys sighed. "Oh come on, fellas. You really think Handsome Jack can actually _die_ ? _Ever_?"

One turned back to the other and shrugged. The one with their visor still on paused.

"Are you a fucking imbecile, Hank?"

"I'd say Hank's actually a pretty smart guy-"

"Shut up, asshole!" he growled, making even more of an effort to aim at Jack. "One more step and I'll end it for all of ya!"

"Well, they're nothing if not thorough," Rhys muttered from the side of his mouth. "I'll give Hyperion credit for that."

"We only employ the best, babe," Jack chuckled before folding his arms and cocking his head to the side. "Look, idiots, take out your ECHOs and scan me. You'll see that I'm Handsome _Jack_ . In the handsome _flesh_." The two guards shifted. "C'mon, chop chop. I haven't got all day."

One guard looked at the other. "What'll it hurt?"

"Me, probably," the other spat. "If this is the real Jack, he'll most likely kill me for all this." The gun in his hands remained pointing square at Jack's forehead. His attention focused back on the Hyperion CEO. "I'm gonna need assurances."

"Oh my god?!" Jack groaned, running a hand through his hair. "You cocky little prick-" A gunshot rang out into the Pandoran night. "Oh my god?"

The guard who had been giving them grief crumpled to the floor, head now a mass of blood and brains. Everyone simply stared down at the leaking body in silence for a moment. Rhys' arm twinged.

"He was selling Hyperion security information to both Maliwan and Torgue," Hank muttered, frowning. "I've been telling our boss for months but he won't believe me because James-" He pointed at the body.  "-is a close friend from college." A huff. "Or _was_ a friend from college. Anyways, this just seemed like a great opportunity to snuff him out and put a stop to all that." Hank seemed to come out of his own head then and remember just who was in front of him. "But...uh… of course… that was murder… of a colleague… I just… oh my fucking god, what have I-"

Jack cut him off by roaring with laughter and slapping his thigh.

"Wow! Hank, _baby_! I _love_ it! A job well done. Now get to scanning and I'll make sure you get a very well-deserved promotion."

"Oh!" A deep blush crossed over what they could see of Hank's cheeks and he fumbled for the device that hung from his hip.

"You only employ the best, huh?" Rhys jibed, smiling. He gestured at James on the floor. Jack followed his hand and frowned as he caught on. They turned their attention back to Hank when he held out his ECHO and pressed a button. Nothing happened.

"Well?" Jack snapped, agitation slicing through the word. "C'mon. I'm tired of standing around now."

Hank pressed the button again. "Here we go. Yes, oh fuck, yes you're him. You're Handsome Jack. Alive. Back."

"I was never gone, kiddo." Jack clicked his tongue and took Rhys by the hand, pulling him towards the gate which had begun to open. The pain came flooding back into his arm and shoulder but he hid it behind narrowed eyes and a bite of his lip. A strangled whine tangled in his throat. Jack continued, unaware. "Thanks. This has been a _real_ treat, but I've got places to be and people to be in." He caught Rhys' eye and winked. Thankfully the pain had suddenly gone, but Rhys felt his face burn for a moment before he shook himself and smirked.

"Oh!" Hank squeaked again. " _Oh_!"

Spinning on his heel and taking Rhys' with him, there was a vein on Jack's temple that looked fit to explode. Hank was pointing a finger at Rhys and blinking back and forth between the man and his ECHO.

"That's...that's….that's the _Atlas_ CEO."

"Yessss," Jack sighed, regretfully letting go of Rhys and stalking over. "And while I think about it, don't tell _anyone_ you saw me here. By all accounts, I'm still 'dead', capiche? At least for the next few hours."

"But s-s-sir, won't people need to-"

"No! They won't! Need to do! Anything!" Jack clapped with each word before running a hand along his jaw and rubbing his chin. "Because as long as they're oblivious to me being, y'know, alive, I can finally just _relax_ . My day has been taxing as _hell_ and I'd rather not be interrupted. So if you want that _promotion-_ " Hank quickly stood to attention and nodded. " _Good boy_ ," Jack purred. With that, he reclaimed Rhys' hand in his own and hurried towards the facility.

 

Rhys' arm burned with little more intensity than it did before, but he hid it well.

  


*

 

 _Jack stormed straight to the Robotics department, heart hot and raw in his chest and tears stinging in the corners of his eyes. It was an almost unknown sensation and the notion that he was nearly_ crying _just added to the resentfulness and bitterness that was devouring him from the inside out. Every person who got in his way during his rampage either got punched in the face or shot in the leg. He didn't care. He couldn't care. Not any more. It felt physically impossible to be able to care about anything other than-other than-_

_He stopped mid-stride and slammed a fist into the metal wall beside him. The impact left a dent and a jolt of agony writhing its way through his hand._

_"God fucking damn it!" he cried, a different cause of agony ripping out through his words. "Fuck!" Another punch. His employees had scattered by now, leaving him alone in the hallway to release the sob that had been building in his lungs. With a deep breath, he continued on his war path and reached Robotics in record time._

_"GET OUT!!!" he screamed, barely through the doors. "GET OUT, GET_ OUT _!!"_

 _The place was vast and cavernous. Rooms spiralled off in every direction and quite honestly the entire place was a work of art; he was_ everywhere. _His essence, his ideas, his creations… everything was_ Him.

 

_Looking at it all hurt more than he'd imagined it would._

 

_The place was empty in a heartbeat. Word must have spread fast (of course it did) and soon Jack was alone once again. He tore through the department to his destination and threw open the doors to the office so forcefully that one clunked off of one of its top hinges. Jack finally stopped and looked around himself for the first time since the landing bay. Since…_

 

_Fuck._

 

_Jack snatched the computer from the desk and tossed it at the window. It smashed instantly, pieces crashing to the floor. Despite every precaution Jack had taken; despite every memory wipe and painful denial of his true feelings...he'd lost him anyway._

_"You prick!" he roared as he wrenched open drawer after drawer, tearing through papers and just about anything he could get his hands on. In truth, there was barely anything left._

 

_He'd taken everything important._

 

_Including Jack's trust and his...his…_

 

_"FUCK!" Jack snapped, word echoing down the hall._

 

 _He had taken it all and done it like it had meant nothing to him. He'd betrayed Jack like Jack had meant_ nothing _. Unblinking, Jack's hand found the lighter in his pocket. He removed it, staring down at the what was left of Rhys._

 _"_ Asshole _," Jack snarled, flicking on the small flame. He tossed it into the scattered documents and upturned desk and it lit with ease. The vision of it all did nothing that Jack had hoped it would. The embers danced in his glazed eyes. "Oh Rhysie," he snarled to the flames as they grew larger, his hands curling into fists. "You can be sure that this isn't the last you'll be seeing of me."_

 

_*_

 

Jack had Rhys up against the wall before the door to the bedroom had even shut. He lifted his foot and kicked it, slamming it closed as his mouth moved in tandem with Rhys'.

"Oh my god, I haven't stopped thinking about that damn arena _once_ ," Jack moaned, not knowing where to put his hands because _everywhere_ seemed perfect all at once. Rhys laughed into the kiss.

"I didn't realise bandits did it for you."

"Shut up _, asshole_ ." With that, Jack yanked at Rhys' bloodied, muddied polo shirt - that had lost all sense of the colour white - and pulled it up over his head. "Holy _fuck,_ you're pretty. And I keep forgetting just how pretty." His fingertips traced the tattoos on his chest for a brief moment before he moved back devouring Rhys' lips. Rhys sucked Jack's bottom lip into his mouth and bit down, causing the older man to shudder, chuckle and grab him tightly by the hips. His thumbs pressed in hard and Rhys found himself arching away from the overly sensitive sensation.

" _Jack_ ," he breathed, incapable of more due to the fact that Jack's mouth was now locked onto his neck, sucking out what Rhys knew would be a dirty purple mark. His knees were weak and his fingers tightened their grip in Jack's hair. He'd been dreaming of this for _years._

 

_Years._

 

He paused, opening his eyes and staring ahead.

  
  


...A _lot_ had changed in those years.

  


He slid his eyes to Jack, who was busy kissing his way down Rhys' chest.

 

Rhys wasn't going to revert back to that needy little Robotics nerd under Jack's command. He was _Atlas_. And Jack needed a goddamn reminder of that fact. He opened his mouth to snap a snarky remark - to put Jack in his place - but Jack licked his nipple into his mouth and Rhys' eyes rolled into the back of his head, any thoughts of control ebbing away-

 

_No._

 

Hands curling into the lapels of Jack's jacket, he pulled the man up to eye level, stared into his soul for a millisecond, and then span them around, ignoring the fresh pain in his arm as he pushed Jack up against the wall and kissed him deeply. Their tongues collided immediately and it was apparent that Jack didn't seem to mind Rhys' actions; in fact, it appeared he rather enjoyed it. He was breathier now and his legs seemed to have given out a fraction.

"You've been dreaming about this, haven't you?" Rhys murmured against his lips. He tugged the jacket off of Jack's shoulders and then went for the shirt. His hands travelled under it and he indulged in running his hands over the planes of Jack's bare chest.

"Just as much as you have, baby," Jack replied, snaking his hands behind Rhys and grabbing his ass. Rhys made quick work of Jack's shirt then and - within seconds - Jack was bare-chested before him. The man's broad shoulders were rising and falling as his breathing turned ragged. They gazed at one another.

 

It was in that moment that the world around them seemed to stop turning entirely. They both paused in their endeavours and grounded themselves in what was actually taking place between them. Rhys' mouth fell open slightly as Jack's thumb traced his bottom lip. They both watched Jack's hand move. Rhys gently took him by the face, fingertips barely touching his skin, leaning in so close that their noses were touching.

"Take me to bed, Jack," he breathed against Jack's lips. Jack only nodded before scooping Rhys up with his legs wrapped around his waist and carrying him over to the bed by the far wall. There they fell in a heap, kissing once again and racing to strip off what was left of their clothing. They did so until only their underwear remained. Rhys lay there under Jack, chest heaving, caught in a moment of disbelief as he took Jack in: scar, messy hair, body, mouth...this was really happening. A smirk flickered on Jack's lips but disappeared as quickly as it had come. He kissed Rhys lightly.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked quietly between beautifully endearing, sweet kisses. Rhys swallowed around the lump in his throat and he ran a finger along Jack's jaw.

"Yes. God, _yes_."

" _Good."_ Jack growled the word but caught his breath when Rhys abruptly flipped them over. He immediately pushed his ass into the hardness of Jack's crotch and both men hissed at the contact.

"Fucking hell, Rhysie," Jack managed, grabbing Rhys by the back of the neck to kiss him again. It seemed that neither of them could get enough. They kissed and kissed, almost forgetting that there was more that they could do now.

 

_Finally._

 

It was Rhys who made the first move.

"Where is it?"

"Top--drawer."

He crawled to the drawer Jack had waved towards and pulled out the lube, only to turn back and find Jack fully naked before him. Rhys seemed to have forgotten how to breathe. He’d only been imagining this moment since...well, since before he could remember.

"Like what you see?" Jack purred with a conceited smile, grasping himself and tugging a little. Rhys could only roll his eyes and tut.

"Why the hell do I want you again?" he asked as he eased out of his own underpants. Jack's eyes grew wide at the sight of him but Rhys wasted no time in climbing on top of him as soon as he was naked. " _Remind_ me." He rolled his hips and pushed their bare cocks together. Jack hissed through his teeth before taking Rhys by the chin and bringing him down into another kiss. This time was slow. It was meaningful, just like it had been back in the arena. It was as though Jack had known _exactly_ what Rhys had meant by ‘remind me’. They were grinding now, over and over again. Jack moaned a little into Rhys’ mouth.

“I want you,” Rhys muttered, now kissing down Jack’s jaw. He squirmed at the heat and the sensitivity of their grinding and soon the tension that was building in his body was too much. He trailed his hands to Jack’s, which were both on his ass cheeks, grabbed him by the wrists and pinned them above Jack’s head. Jack gasped in surprise at the sudden movement.

“I want you inside me _now_ ,” Rhys commanded, tightening his grip. He leant in close. “I’m _tired_ of waiting.”

 

It wasn’t that Jack hadn’t known that Rhys would be like this in the bedroom - in fact, he’d hoped to god that he would be. However, it still remained that Jack wasn’t used to being bossed around; that usually got people into trouble. But here he was - under Rhys - and melting into the bedsheets at every word that dripped from Rhys’ mouth.

 

Though, he supposed he’d been melting under Rhys’ every word ever since they’d met.

 

“Can’t do that if you keep me all tied up, babe,” Jack quipped, eyeing his hands above his head. Rhys let go. He dragged his hands through Jack’s hair as Jack applied some lube to his fingers. “You were right,” Jack half-whispered, a finger dancing over Rhys’ hole which made the younger man suck in a breath. “I _have_ been dreaming about this.” As he slipped in his finger, another agonising pain wrecked Rhys’ arm and he cried out. Jack grinned. “Yeah, that’s it kitten.”   


Rhys could barely think. The overload of sensations - the pain and the pleasure - was hard to handle. He whimpered helplessly and collapsed with his head beside Jack’s, gasping for air at the feeling of Jack’s finger inside of him and at the agony in his left arm.

“ _Jack,_ ” he sobbed, almost wanting to tell him to stop. This was the worst pain he’d felt yet. “Jack-”

“God, yeah baby, keep saying my name.”

The pain ebbed away as it had done each time before. He was so _confused._ Was he sick?

 

Jack added another finger.

 

Rhys cried out, this time in pleasure because Jack’s fingers curled in just the right way that he-

“Oh my  _god,_ ” he cried out, hands fisting the sheets. “Oh god, Jack _please_.”

“I still gotta work you a bit more, Rhys, I gotta-” But he was cut off when Rhys’ flesh hand slammed over his mouth. Rhys glared down at him.

“I said  **_please_ ** _._ ”

The anguish and desperation in his words went straight to Jack’s dick and, by all accounts, he couldn’t deny Rhys _now._ So he squirted lube onto his hand and reached down between them.

 

They both held their breath.

 

Jack placed the tip of his slicked cock against Rhys before wiping his hands on the sheets and grabbing Rhys by the face. He kissed him, hot and heavy, as he slid inside.

“Oh _fuck_ ,” they breathed in unison. It was tight, painful even, but neither that paid any mind. They remained there, unmoving for a moment, with Jack buried in Rhys to the hilt. Jack kissed him and kissed him and Rhys kissed him in return. There was a pressure building in Rhys’ chest and, as Jack started to move his hips, Rhys let out a small sob before burying his face into Jack’s neck.

“Am I hurting you?” Jack asked with concern. Rhys shook his head. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and gazed down at Jack with eyes that shimmered in the light. There was something in them that made Jack’s heart swell.

“No. No, not at all. Keep--keep _going._ ”

And so Jack did. His hands found Rhys’ sides and he held him as he began driving himself in and out, eventually finding a rhythm that suited them both. It had Rhys whimpering and whining before pushing himself up and using his weight to counteract Jack’s movements. He watched through half-lidded eyes as Jack threw his head back and moaned beautifully, chanting Rhys’ name like a mantra.

“You feel as damn good as I--always hoped you---heh...wouldn’t,” Jack managed to chuckle mid-moan. “I convinced myself you’d be---shit because that was easier---to accept-”

“Shut _up_ ,” Rhys hissed impatiently. “And turn me _over_.”

Jack couldn’t _not_ do as he was told when Rhys took _that_ tone with him. He flipped them, but to get Rhys back for speaking to him that way he took the opportunity to fully and suddenly piledrive the Atlas CEO into the mattress and Rhys clearly didn’t know what to do with himself. His hands buried into the sheets and into Jack’s hair before clawing their way down Jack’s back. He cursed, cried out Jack’s name and moaned emphatically as he drew closer to his climax which Jack forced out of him by taking his dick in his hand and pumping it in sync with his thrusts. Rhys cried out as he shook and came all over his stomach. With short, sharp jolts, and Rhys’ name on his lips, Jack followed suit.

“Oh my god,” Rhys choked out as Jack worked himself through his orgasm. He could only swallow and respond by kissing Rhys because holy fuck, they’d just...they’d just _done_ that. Rhys stroked his hands through Jack’s hair, practically beaming.

“Y’know, when you smile like that, it makes it real hard to kiss you,” Jack chuckled, finally having caught his breath.

“Sorry,” Rhys sighed happily, eyelids fluttering. He was clearly still reeling from his orgasm. “Sorry, I just…” He held Jack’s face in his hands and gazed at him, still smiling. He then seemed to shake himself and his smile turned to a casual smirk. “Well, _shit_. Handsome Jack _is_ good in bed. Looks like I lost a bet with the _entire_ board of directors-”

“I love you.”

“and they’ll-what?”

“I love you, Rhys.”

Rhys’ mouth fell open in a small ‘o’. He blinked.

“Oh.”

They stared at each other. Jack’s round eyes were filled with what appeared to be fear.  Rhys’ heart was pounding in his chest. Had Jack really just said-?

“You…? _Oh_.”

Jack coughed and sat back, running a shaking hand through his hair.

“Mmm. Maybe I, uh, shouldn’t have said anything… Ah,  _fuck._ ” Jack frowned and turned, making to climb off of the bed, but Rhys lunged out and grabbed his arm. His mouth fought the words, knowing that the implications of saying them aloud were going to set a lot more into motion, but in the moment he pushed all fears and concerns aside because Jack was _staring_ at him and _goddamnit,_ it was the _truth._

“I love you too.”

No more words passed between them as they threw themselves together, mouths moving together as they kissed and told one another those same words over and over again. Jack pulled Rhys to his feet and had him up against the wall yet again.

“This is the way I first noticed you,” Jack breathed into his mouth. “The first way I _really_ noticed you. You’d been all cocky and bitchy with me in that meeting, telling me how Hyperion was _screwed._ Irony was, all I could think about - when I had you up against that wall afterwards - was screwing _you_.”

“ _Oh_ ,” was all Rhys could manage. Jack helped there though, kissing any possible words and breath out of him. Soon, however, he finally laughed and broke the kiss.

“Well, this has clearly turned into more than just a screw.”

Rhys squeezed Jack’s arm and kissed him once again. “Jack, it was _always_ going to be more than just a screw.”

Jack chuckled. He stroked Rhys’ hair back. “Look, as great as this all is, I _seriously_ need a shower.” He peered down between them. “And so do you.”

“Wanna do it together?” Rhys suggested with a wink, running his index fingers down Jack’s chest. To his dismay, Jack rubbed his arms and shook his head.

“You go first. You’re all bloodied and dusty and ... _sticky_.” He pulled a face. Rhys pulled one back. “And I have to, uh, make a call. To Angel.”

“You really should have done that as soon as we got here.”

“Well, _yes,_ I know _that_ ,” Jack groaned, now starting to look anxious. He caught Rhys’ eye and narrowed his own eyes. He set his jaw. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re supposed to love me.”

Rhys gasped. “You can't use that against me already!”

They both giggled. Jack kissed him on the forehead. “Go shower. I’ll be done when you’re out.”

Begrudgingly, Rhys did as he was told. The door to the side of the bed opened out into a vast golden palace of a room. The shower was ridiculous and the bath beside it even more so. Rhys threw his gaze to the ceiling (which was made of marble?!). Of _course_ Jack had to have such luxuries everywhere he went. Rhys padded over to the huge shower cubicle and picked out a temperature and a preferred water pressure from a screen to the side. If he was going to indulge, then he was going to _indulge._ He stepped into the delightfully hot water when it started up and couldn’t stop the huge smile that grew on his lips as raw emotion blossomed in his chest. He had to hold the shower wall for support.

 

Jack _loved_ him.

 

And he loved _Jack_.

 

How strange the world had become-

 

Suddenly, Rhys fell to the floor of the shower, clutching his arm and moaning in pain. What was _happening_ ?! It felt like his entire arm was on fire once again but this time even worse. How could it possibly be getting _worse_ ?! This time he couldn’t hold in the scream but managed to muffle it in his arm which _throbbed_. He grabbed at it, desperate to inspect it for some kind of lump or rash, but what he found instead perhaps concerned him even more. There, burning bright blue and obvious, was the Eridian symbol he had received all those years ago in his Vault. His cybernetic fingers came to it, tracing the pattern as the light died away along with the pain.

 _“One day, you will help me exact my revenge.”_ That was what the guardian had said. Rhys winced. _“I've never been more ready for anything,”_ Rhys had replied. As Rhys sat there on the shower floor, arms around his knees, he had never regretted any of his words more. But he couldn’t sit there feeling sorry for himself. _He_ had made that deal with the guardians and _he_ would have to face the consequences, whatever they were. But he would suck it up and deal with the pain for the night. The morning would be when he dealt with whatever was causing it.

So he clambered to his feet and washed himself off, feeling numb. He didn’t even really bother to lather the soap properly. He then forced himself to think about _nothing_ but Jack. The kisses, the ‘I love yous’, the _sex._ He felt a smile creep onto his lips. Yes, thinking about Jack was a _perfect_ distraction. When the door opened, he jumped. Jack smirked from the doorway.

“God, you look fucking _excellent_ all wet and naked like that. Y’know, I once got myself off to the thought of you like this.”

“What?”

Jack closed the door and strolled over to the other side of the glass. He rapped his knuckles on it and grinned.

“When we were talking on the ECHO and you were in the bath. One of my fondest memories. You had _no_ idea.”

Rhys felt his face flush with red. “Oh. I was doing the same on the other end. And... _you_ had no idea.”

Both men peered at one another through the steamed shower wall. Jack began to chuckle. Rhys did too. Soon they were both giggling at each other through the glass.

“We were clearly _made_ for each other,” Jack snorted as he stepped into the shower and wrapped his arms around Rhys. He kissed him in such a way that Rhys forgot all about guardians, pain, deals and his own damn breath.

 

Yeah, they clearly were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *SCREAMS* BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL _MEAN_
> 
> You'll find out
> 
> They had to get one happy chapter at least :o
> 
> Also listen to "Feels Like This" by Maisie Peters
> 
> It is perfect for this chapter ;_;


	12. Chapter 12

_Jack's eyes glowed red as he stepped from behind his desk and stalked towards Rhys who was slowly backing towards the doors._

_"J...Jack?" he whimpered, tears welling in his eyes. There was nothing in Jack's that indicated any emotion other than pure, absolute loathing. "Your eyes-"_

_Suddenly the room warped and they were on the landing pad on_ that _day - one of the worst days of Rhys' life. The gun, the one that had shot him in the arm, was there in Jack's hand again. This time, however, it wasn't aimed at his chest._

_It was aimed right between his eyes._

_"You ruined everything. You betrayed me. You destroyed Hyperion." He cocked the gun and snarled. "I can't have that."_

_"But Jack, you said that you loved me!" Rhys choked on a sob. He backed away as Jack advanced. "You...you told me you_ loved _me."_

 _Jack threw his head back and laughed, high and cruel. "I've never loved you! Do you really think I meant any of that? Ha!" His glowing eyes found Rhys' once again. "You mean_ nothing _to me."_

_The words pierced Rhys' heart like a knife. He sank to his knees and Jack closed in, now barely two feet away. Rhys looked up, past the barrel and into Jack's eyes._

_"Do it then," he managed, tears dripping off of his chin. "Do it, if that's what you want."_

_A moment of silence. Jack's grip visibly tightened and, for a second, the glowing red in his eyes faded. "Oh, Rhysie…" He swallowed, shook himself and smirked wide. The red returned, stronger than ever. He pressed the gun to Rhys' forehead. "I've never wanted anything more."_

_He pulled the trigger._

 

Rhys sat bolt upright, sweat pouring down his forehead. He lunged forward and gasped for breath, clutching at his chest with his cybernetic hand; his skin was hot to the touch but a cold sensation slithered its way up his spine to the base of his neck. His eyes flicked down.

His _arm._

He peered at it closely and, from sight alone, it seemed entirely normal. He flexed his fingers before making a fist. It wasn't even hurting any more. However, it now felt like something was pulling him by his wrist towards the door. Some sort of force that had crawled its way through his shoulder and into his mind. It was a force that he couldn't bring himself to say no to. Silently he slipped out of bed, leaving Jack snoring behind him, and quickly tugged on some clothes that Jack had provided for when they woke up later. Grey sweatpants that hung too low, an old, frayed Hyperion shirt ( _that_ had made him smirk) and a pair of boring plain black socks. 

 

The somewhat magnetic pull within him grew stronger with each passing second.  He padded across the room to the door but took a glance over his shoulder as he grasped the handle. His gaze fell upon the man he loved. What would Jack think about all of this? The nightmare flashed behind his eyes but he shook it away. It had been a nightmare.

That was it. 

He was a grown man and knew nightmares were just that. Nightmares. Nothing more. 

But Rhys had never told Jack about the symbol that the creature had given him. He'd never told anyone beyond Fiona, Yvette, Vaughn, Sasha and August - his family. No one at Atlas knew. No one but him. Years had passed...he'd hoped that maybe the deal had been forgotten. He frowned.

 

What stupid wishful thinking. 

 

Rhys went to step back toward the bed. Toward Jack. Perhaps now was the time to tell him- A semi-painful yank to his wrist had him slipping through the door, unable to deny it. He stepped out into the hallway where a cool breeze was blowing through. It was refreshing to the blazing heat that prickled across his skin. He rubbed his arm. What was he _doing_? He shouldn't…

A strange but warm, contented feeling washed over him then and he smiled, woozy. No, this was fine. He had to find out what was going on. He shook himself and looked out of the long window that stretched out along the other side of the hall; from where he was standing, he could see the desert dunes of Pandora, their peaks illuminated by the pale light of Elpis. Eventually, he tore his eyes away and looked down the hall at the elevator. _That_ was where he needed to go. As he made his way towards it, he wondered what would happen if he was caught by an employee. Would they know him? Assume he was another one of them? He looked to the Hyperion logo emblazoned on his chest and ran his fingertips across it as nostalgia chewed at him. A small smile played on his lips. 

He quite literally had Hyperion by the balls. He was now, undoubtedly, _the_ most powerful person in the system and probably beyond. Jack would be pissed to know that Rhys was going exploring his facility but did Rhys have to fear death from him any more? Absolutely not. Jack would give him grief, sure, but Rhys could now shut him up with a blowjob to make them square and the thought made him smile smugly to himself. 

After a short elevator ride of about twenty floors, he continued through the base, following the pull that was now acting on his entire being, not just his wrist. To his disappointment, there was nothing particularly special about what he saw on his journey. It was all metal hallways, harsh fluorescent lights and the occasional potted plant - the same as it had been back on Helios. He approached a set of double doors at the end of the hallway and pushed through, leading into another, darker hall that glowed with deep purple lights running along either side of the ceiling. _Pretty_ , he thought, gazing up as he walked. His socked feet were cold against the floor but he didn't mind. By now, it felt as though whatever force was guiding him had him by the hand, gently taking him to wherever it was they were going. An even greater sense of ease had washed over him and he felt almost elated, like an excitable schoolkid on a field trip they'd been hyped about and waiting on for months. The hallway snaked around a sharp bend and when Rhys went with it, he stopped dead in his tracks. His breath didn't make it past his lips. 

There before him, behind a huge glass window - like a caged _animal -_ was a Vault Guardian. 

 

*

 

Back in the bedroom, Jack grunted awake. He was desperate for a piss and desperate to kiss Rhys again. Quietly, he slipped from the bed so as not to wake the man beside him and went into the bathroom to relieve himself before coming back and frowning at the bed, hands on his hips. He was incredibly confused. 

The bed was empty.

"Rhys?" he asked the room, knowing he was being a moron as soon as he said it because the place was clearly empty of anyone but him. He checked the bathroom just in case the idiot had slipped and fallen into the bath or something but no. The room was, in fact, empty.

Jack started to panic. Did the dude fucking _sleepwalk_?! How could he not have told him? He thought about how that would be an important detail for someone to remember to say if it was a common occurrence. Another thought curled its way into his brain but he nearly hissed at it as he forced it away. Rhys wouldn't have done all this...wouldn't have said things and acted in a certain way just to...just to…

No. 

 

Too much...too much had…

 

Jack set his jaw. 

 

No.

 

Too much had happened. 

 

After getting dressed, he swiftly marched to the nearby security room to access the footage so he could find the stupid idiot.

 

*

 

It was strapped up by the arms and legs, spreadeagled and suspended in the middle of the large, empty chamber beyond the glass. Unlike the ghostly creature he had met in his Vault, this one appeared solid and very much present. Rhys stepped closer. Hundreds of tubes hung like spiderwebs around it, connected to all parts of its body. A purple liquid was flowing through most of them. Swallowing through a dry, narrow throat, Rhys advanced to take an even closer look. Why did Jack have a Guardian? And what was he doing with it? Rhys pressed his hand to the glass and was surprised by the icy temperature that bit at his skin as he did so. His eyes travelled along one particularly thick tube which came to an end just above its stomach. _Eridium,_ Rhys presumed, watching the dark liquid shimmer. 

He peered closer. His brain caught up with eyes and his jaw dropped.

The liquid wasn't going in as he'd first thought. Jack was _extracting_ Eridium from the Guardian. The liquid was coming _out._

 _"You have done well, Rhys,"_ came a disembodied voice from all around him. He recognised it instantly and felt sick. His eyes scoured the room and when they came to rest on the Guardian behind the glass, his heart rate sky-rocketed. Whereas before it had been limp, hanging from its restraints like a dead-weight with its eyes closed, it was now staring directly at him. 

"Are you-"

 _"We are many,"_ the voice said, doing so in such a way that it sent a shiver down Rhys' spine. All of a sudden, his arm twinged painfully.

"What the hell is this?!" he growled and gestured to the symbol that was now glowing brightly on his arm. "And why the hell have you brought me here?" 

 

But he already knew the answer; of course he did.

  


_Revenge._

 

The pit of his stomach fell away as his body filled with a deep sense of dread. As every second passed, new things clicked into place. 

 

Revenge on _Jack._

 

 _"Precisely,"_ came the voice again, answering his thoughts. The idea that they could see inside his head made Rhys cringe and squeeze his eyes shut, as though that would stop whatever it was they were doing. " _Open your eyes, Rhys. Open them and see the evil doings of the man you think you know."_

"I've seen," Rhys spat, eyes still tightly closed. His stomach turned. "And I get it." He took a breath, lowered his shoulders and opened his eyes. Before him, glowing and hovering above the floor, was an apparition of his Guardian. "You're pissed."

He didn't want to pander to the Guardian's emotions and cause some kind of meltdown. It was very clear that the creature was on edge, even if it was only a reflection of its true form. Its black eyes were narrow slits and its large shoulders were rising and falling quickly.

"How are you here?" he asked it, tone cutting and angry. "How can I see you?"

Suddenly, his arm began to burn and this time it didn't stop. Then it scorched like his arm had been plunged into a raging fire and finally, his body simply couldn't contain the pain. He lurched forwards, grabbed at his body and _screamed._ He then collapsed to his knees, the impact causing a sickening thud to echo throughout the room. The agony of his knees was nothing on what was happening across his flesh arm though. He stared down at it in horror as all of his tattoos glowed with purple light. 

 _"The Eridian symbol I gave to you has allowed you to carry me with you to this very spot. This source of Eridium…"_ The Guardian gazed at the other that glared at him from within the enclosure. " _It gave life to the symbol. It gave life to_ me. _Enabled me to speak to you from our Vault."_

 _"_ You can… take back… your fucking Vault," Rhys managed, choking on the pain. "I don't… want it."

The Guardian smirked. " _Unfortunately, you no longer have a say in what you do and do not want."_

Its eyes flashed with malice as it raised its own arm. To Rhys' horror and surprise, the Guardian behind the glass did the same. 

" _Revenge is what you promised us in return for Atlas,"_ the vision snarled. It shot forward, bringing its grotesque face millimetres away from his own. It reached out and ghosted its fingers along his wrist.  " _So revenge is what we shall get."_

 

It grabbed his arm. He cried out - suffering through sudden, immense torture - and the tears that had been building now spilt down his cheeks. A searing heat shot through him from their point of contact, right up and into his brain. 

"No! _Please_!" was all that escaped his lips in a breath before all he could see was purple and black. Darkness washed over him as a viciously powerful and horrendous sensation travelled through what felt like every single one of his veins. He screamed again, unable to see.

"Stop! You need to tell me what this all means! What are you going to do?!"

A laugh, piercing and cold, echoed all around him. Rhys gasped as phantom movements took over his arms. His fingers flexed against his will and he freaked out. He was blind and losing control. His lips curled into a smirk that wasn't his own and suddenly every word he tried to get out wouldn't come. 

 _"Oh, you'll see, Rhys,"_ it said in his voice, using his mouth. _"You'll see_ exactly _what we are going to do."_

 

*

 

Jack prodded the screen in front of him, grimacing. He watched the playback which showed Rhys travel down in the elevator and arrive at _that_ floor. 

"Fuck," he grumbled, chewing down on his lip. What was that idiot doing? Why was he sneaking around? Why was he forcing Jack's hand? 

The man reached for the pistol on the wall but second thoughts ate at him so he paused halfway. 

Rhys wouldn't. Rhys couldn't.

 

...Rhys _might_ just be _that_ good.

 

Jack considered shooting himself with the pistol as the thought crossed his mind. The idea that Rhys could have actually used him all along and...not meant a word of anything…

It messed with him in ways he didn't even know were possible. He snatched the gun, muttering under his breath as he shoved it into the top of his pants. 

 

The Atlas CEO would be the death of him.

 

*

 

Rhys could only exist as he floated behind his own eyes, watching as the Guardian who had taken his body for its own placed both of his hands on the glass. He felt the swell of emotion it felt as it gazed upon the other. 

 _"Freedom is close, brother,"_ it murmured and, for the first time, its voice was soft and full of pain. _"I'm here now."_

If Rhys hadn't been shoved to the corner of his own mind and put through agonising pain for what still remained an unknown purpose, he would have maybe felt sorry for the creatures. A silver tear fell from the eye of the Guardian beyond the glass. 

"You'd better make this fucking easy for me to understand." 

The most intense, alien feeling of rage and loathing that immediately spiralled through his body was suffocating.  Jack's voice echoed throughout the room and, as the creature span and viewed Jack standing there with a pistol in hand and devastation in his eyes, Rhys screamed at him He begged him to run. But he was too far from his own mouth to get the words out and, in that moment, he’d never felt further from Jack.

 

*

 

The Hyperion CEO stumbled back, his gun slipping from his fingers and clattering to the floor. A wave of dizziness and disbelief tore through him and it _just kept going._ It had him up against the wall, pressed there like a cornered animal, as he took in the unimaginable sight before him. 

There, now hovering a foot above the ground, was Rhys. Rhys, with glowing purple eyes and a glowing left arm and a face twisted in such a way that the _hatred_ that poured out of him was almost _palpable._ Jack’s eyes flicked to the extraction chamber where his latest Guardian stared at him with the exact same expression. 

 _“We told you,”_ Rhys snarled, echoes of history and reverence calling through in each word. _“We told you what would happen if you did not stop.”_

Mouth dry, Jack slid to the floor and stared up at him. He wasn’t usually one to be caught out by anything. In fact, he prided himself on that fact. However, being confronted by the love of his life floating a foot from the ground with glowing purple eyes and a glowing left arm was _not_ something he found he could cope with. Rhys' feet touched the ground slowly before he stalked up, grabbed Jack by the front of the shirt with his glowing flesh arm and yanked him back to his feet. 

 

Jack blinked, unable to breathe.

 

This was a... _Guardian?_

 

"How?" he managed, horrified

 

The Guardian chuckled, dark and menacing. " _You surely didn't believe that Rhys just waltzed into our midst, asked for and received such a supply of Eridium from our Vault, do you?”_ Jack could barely think of a response because he was abruptly tossed across the room like he weighed nothing. He slammed into the thick glass wall of the containment cell and fell to the floor beneath it, landing painfully. Rhys advanced. _“He cut a deal. We offered him Eridium. He took it_ knowing _that one day he would help us seek revenge for what you have done to us.”_ It snarled the last few words and took him by the throat, sliding him back up the glass.

Jack went limp. His eyes grew glazed. “You mean, Rhys knew-”

 _“No, you fool,”_ it snapped _. “Rhys never knew that it was_ you _whom we desired to take vengeance against. In fact, it was_ I _who told him to forget about his own vengeance for you, after you tossed him aside when he’d brought you back from the brink.”_ The cybernetic hand around his neck squeezed harder and Jack couldn’t breathe. He fought against it, bringing up his own hands to pull it away as best he could, but the Guardian was too strong.

 _“Rhys’ desire for retribution was nothing on mine. On_ ours.” It gestured between itself and the Guardian behind him. Jack was beginning to see stars and the words he wanted to spit couldn’t make it past his lips. _“No. Your deserved comeuppance has to come from us - the Guardians of Pandora’s Vaults.”_ It pulled him close. _“We_ **deserve** _this.”_ In the second where it had pulled him forward from the glass, he’d caught his breath, but it was all in vain when he was smashed back against it hard, feeling his skull split. He gasped in pain as warm blood immediately trickled down the back of his neck.

 _“You trap us and bring us into this godforsaken place to drain us to mere husks just for your little experiments.”_ Its glowing eyes were bulging now. It spat the next few words. “ _And then you replace us with another...like we are nothing but pieces of_ meat _. Like we are worth_ nothing. _We have been on this planet since time began. You monsters think that you can treat us like_ animals. _”_

“You...god...I never heard you...speak...I didn’t know you...had... _sentience_.” Jack just about managed the words around the hand at his throat. It threw its head back and laughed. 

_“Don’t play dumb with me.”_

Jack went flying. He landed on the floor with a crunch and was now woozy with the amount of blood he was losing. He put his fingers to the back of his head and felt the growing dampness there. Bringing it back, his hand was completely slick with red. In a moment of clarity, he noticed the gun laying only metres away. His body twitched. 

 _“What are you going to do?”_ the Guardian asked, huffing a laugh and folding its arms. _“Shoot me?”_ Another chuckle. It tapped its temple. _“Don’t forget, it’s not just me in here. My, my, you should hear him_ screaming _. For some reason unbeknownst to me, Rhys seems to care for you. He seems ever so slightly concerned for your wellbeing.”_

"Let him go and actually face me as you are," Jack hissed, pushing himself to his feet. "This is between you and me. It doesn't involve Rhys."

 _"Fool!”_ it screeched, causing him to take a step back _. ”The only reason I can do any of this is by being so close to another of my kind. And I’m only here because of_ him.” It prodded at Rhys’ chest. _“I knew that if Rhys got close enough to you, he would one day make it here."_ The smile it offered him then was malicious. " _Though once tonight is done, I suppose this place won't matter to you any longer. Whatever you're using our Eridium for...well, that will be over."_

 

Jack thought about the body that waited for him three floors up. Eridium direct from the source was the only thing that allowed Nakayama to… He swore under his breath but barely had time to get the word out as his breath was stolen from his lungs. A fist had smashed into his chest and sent him flying and hitting the wall behind him. 

" _This is in no way just between you and me."_ It lifted then, hovering above the ground once more. The arm glowed brighter. " _Rhys serves a much higher purpose._ _"_ A purple hand flew to Rhys' throat. Jack lunged but the creature floated higher. He could do nothing as it obviously tightened its grip.  " _Set us free, Jack. Never use us this way again. Agree, and I'll spare his life."_

Jacks head swam. Without the direct Eridium link, the bodies couldn't be created. Without the bodies, Jack couldn't follow through on his plan to show the universe that Handsome Jack would never end. He would just be a mortal man; the thought of that had never sat right with him. He’d always believed he’d been meant to be more than just a human that would waste away and eventually turn to dust. 

He hated that he'd told Nakayama to only make the one. How could he have been so stupid? Now one was all he was ever going to get. As he stared up at Rhys, the man's eyes flickered back to their usual brown and gold. A strangled sob broke out from Rhys' chest and he gasped for air as though he’d been holding his breath.

" _Jack--please---_ "

And just like that, the glowing eyes were back along with a smirk on his lips. Jack shook himself. 

 

Living forever was worthless if he didn't have Rhys by his side all the way to the end - whenever that may be. 

 

He curled his hands into fists and closed his eyes, taking a long, careful breath. 

"Alright, alright. I'll stop using you fucking creeps." His eyes opened. "But know this. I never bow to _anyone_ . Or any _thing_. But you...you let him go now.” Jack raised a quivering finger. “You hear me, asshole?" 

There was a long silence that passed between them in which the Guardian came to the floor and let Rhys go, hands coming to rest behind his back. It looked at the control panel beside the chamber. 

" _Shut it off."_

Jack swallowed his pride. With Rhys' life on the line, he couldn't...he would _never_ put anything else above him. Not any more. Slowly, and with a black and white haze dancing at the corners of his vision, he crossed the room and laid his hand on the buttons required. He took another deep breath and pushed. They both watched as the tubes - and Jack's chances of living forever - dropped away, and as soon as it was no longer held up by the machinery the Guardian inside fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Jack had to lean forward to spot if it was still breathing. When he'd determined it was, he turned back to the other as his arms folded across his chest. Inside it, his heart was hammering. He knew this wasn’t the end of it. He wasn’t a fool. But as long as he pretended that he wasn’t about to be slaughtered where he stood, the less he had to think about how painful it would be. And how much of an inconvenience it would all be.

"There. _Done_. The air vent in there is open too so it can do whatever magical bullshit it needs to in order to leave. Now, can I just go back to fucking sleep and you piss off out of my life for good? Or do I need to-” 

 

He’d been anticipating the punch, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. The force had him reeling, his jaw feeling like it was knocked out of place. He glared at the Guardian. 

“I thought we were square.”

 

That was, of course, a lie.

 

And the Guardian knew it. 

 

“ _Oh dear me. What a naive little human you are! You have slithered so high in the ranks on your mortal coil that you cannot even fathom that there are consequences to your selfish, abhorrent actions.”_ A cold, cybernetic hand curled around his throat once again. He’d been expecting it. He was too weak, with blood gushing from the back of his skull and his body broken, to fight back the way he knew he should. His toes left the ground and there he remained, suspended above the ground and staring into the vacant, glowing eyes of the man he loved. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said. He knew Rhys was in there somewhere and he hoped to hell he could hear him. “Rhysie, I’m so sorry that this all happened to you because of me. But we’ll see each other again. Remember? Remember the truck ride? Don’t forget any of that. If you understand, you know we’ll be okay.” 

The Guardian, of course, had no idea what he was talking about. It cocked its head to one side and frowned massively. Jack couldn’t say any more. Not with it listening. It would know he couldn’t be killed and it would-

 _“The fresh corpse you have waiting upstairs won’t help you now,_ ” the creature cackled, squeezing his throat harder. Jack’s heart stopped. His skin turned to ice. What the _fuck_ did that mean? How did it know about...how did it know??! “ _In fact, quite the opposite. I can’t imagine you’ll want it at all after this.”_

“H-How do you know about that?!” Jack blurted, struggling against the hand clamped around his neck. "And what are you  _talking_ about?!"

“ _Oh, I know everything, Jack._ _And isn’t it obvious yet?”_ the Guardian replied, now grinning maniacally. All of a sudden, its glowing purple hand grabbed at Rhys’ throat once more, fingers clutching at his chin and jaw. _“Killing_ you _would be a delight. But killing the man you love?”_

 

Jack stopped breathing.

 

_“No-”_

 

“That _kind of revenge is_ priceless. _”_ An audible crack echoed through the room as a bright purple light blasted from the creature’s hand, blinding him.  Jack fell to the ground instantly, pain searing through his entire body, but he didn’t care. He scrambled around, desperate to find, desperate to save, desperate to see-

  
  


His body turned to ice when he saw. 

 

There, sprawled on the cold, stone floor with blood pouring past his pale lips and wide, unblinking brown and gold eyes, was Rhys. 

 

Rhys, with no test-tube body to stroll back into. 

 

Rhys, who he would have gone to the ends of the universe for. Who he would have given up _everything_ for. 

 

Rhys, who made him _whole._

 

Jack dragged himself the short distance over to the body. He scooped him up into his arms, holding him close as he stroked the hair off of his face. 

 _“Rhys,_ ” he sobbed, pressing their foreheads together. He was shaking.  _“Baby,_ I’m _sorry._ I’m so,  _so_ _sorry._ ”

“ _The strength of even the greatest man alive can be sliced away by locating his weakness,”_ a disembodied voice breathed into his ear. Jack pulled Rhys closer, shielding him from the Guardian. From anything. _“Here is where we part ways. Our vengeance is fulfilled."_ A moment of silence passed. _“Poor Rhys. Your future together could have been so bright. How can you possibly live with yourself knowing that_ you _caused_ _this? Your arrogance and desperation for self-preservation killed him, Jack. ”_

“Shut up!” Jack screamed out before realising that both Guardians were gone. Knowing he was now alone, he brought his eyes back down to Rhys and, with a shuddering breath and a failing heart, broke into more pieces than anyone would ever be able to put back together.

The only person who would have been able to was Rhys.

 

But Rhys was gone. 

 

 

 

Rhys was  _gone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ................................... I'm sorry :x
> 
>  
> 
> But there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I promise.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry sorry sorry. I know it's been a longer break than usual between this chapter and the last but life just got in the way! 
> 
> This chapter was a toughie but worth it. I'm very proud.
> 
> Let me know what you think! I'd also love to hear where you think the story may go from here. :) 
> 
> All my love xxxxx

* * *

"...Who goes there?"

Guns cocking...footsteps behind him...

"Turn around!"

  


" _Nakayama,"_ Jack breathed, eyelids drooping.

  


"Oh, good lord, it's Jack - Jack?!" 

 

Silence.

 

More footsteps.

 

Heavier. Quicker.

 

Closer.

 

Jack blinked hard but could barely stay conscious. He felt a sudden presence by his side. 

"Is it really you?" A finger below his chin, turning his heavy, agonising head. "We thought you were dead! After that terrible accident- Christ, you...you _look_ like death." A hand at the base of his neck. "Wait...is that…" 

 

Another voice. Lower.

"That's a lot of blood, Nakayama, sir."

"Yes, yes, I _see_ that, you imbecile. God, it's all over the floor. There's an Instahealth by the entrance. Go and fetch it!" A beat. "NOW?!"

 

" _Save...him…"_

A long pause. 

 

"...Jack ..he has no pulse- wait is that...is that _Atlas_?!"

 

" _Fuck--dont worry about me---save_ **_him_ ** _."_

 

"Jack, I can't-"

 

Jack mustered all his strength. Pulled reserves from god only knows where. He turned, grabbed Nakayama by the collar and yanked his head down so they were eye to eye. 

" **_Anything_ ** _it takes…._ You _hear_ me?"

Nakayama visibly swallowed before nodding furiously.

 

Jack closed his eyes. An ice cold chill rattled through his bones. 

  


 

 

His world turned black. 

 

*

 

 _The fact that he could do nothing was killing him. He screamed out, begging the Guardian to stop. There was blood everywhere, all over the floor, literally pouring out of the back of Jack's skull. He was barely able to stand as he released the other Guardian from its restraints behind the glass. When Rhys - when the_ Guardian _\- landed him with a sickening sucker punch despite him following its wishes, Rhys screeched and thrashed which of course did absolutely nothing. Jack was on the floor, glaring up at him, but there was a glazed look in his eyes. Rhys had never seen Jack as broken as this._

_“I thought we were square," Jack snarled. The anguish and disgust that swept through Rhys' body was almost painful and so alien that it made him shudder._

“ _Oh dear me. What a naive little human you are! You have slithered so high in the ranks on your mortal coil that you cannot even fathom that there are consequences to your selfish, abhorrent actions.”_

_Rhys tried his best then. He really, truly did. Tried harder to fight than he had ever done in his life. He fought against the hand that went for Jack's neck with all his might but his mental strength was nothing on his Guardian of the Vault's. It squeezed, lifting Jack up and off his feet, high in the air. It was in that moment that Jack's expression changed from enraged and hurt to completely devastated. Was he...crying?_

_“I’m so sorry. Rhysie, I’m so sorry that this all happened to you because of me. But we’ll see each other again. Remember? Remember the truck ride?" How could Rhys have forgotten? Jack had contingency plan for his death. He was safe from the Guardian! Jack continued. "Don’t forget any of that. If you understand, you know we’ll be okay.”_

_However, the abrupt smugness that swept up through him made him choke._

_“The fresh corpse you have waiting upstairs won’t help you now," the Guardian smirked. "In fact, quite the opposite. I can’t imagine you’ll want it at all after this.”_

_A corpse…? A body?!! Had Hyperion surpassed body doubles and actually invented a way to completely bring someone back from the dead, even into their own skin?_

_“H-How do you know about that?!"_

_It was then that Rhys realised what this all meant. If the Guardian knew that the body wouldn't have a purpose...it meant that if it killed Jack...he would be...could he be gone for good? No._

 

_No, Rhys wouldn't stand for that._

 

_Flashbacks to the deal dashed across his mind and he found himself filling to the brink with rage._

 

 _"We made a deal," he hissed to the Guardian which had consumed the better part of his head. "You promised you wouldn't harm the people I love if I accepted your terms and I love_ him _._ " _It was Rhys' turn to smirk._ " _You can't_ hurt _him. It would break the deal."_

“ _Oh? Isn’t it obvious yet?” the Guardian replied aloud, sounding as though it were addressing the two human men at once. All of a sudden, Rhys' glowing purple hand grabbed tightly at his throat once more, fingers digging in hard._

_"I've already got my revenge." The voice sounded different now. It was echoing around his skull. "He's bleeding out. He'll be dead in moments. And I'm inside your head with all the power of the Vaults at my fingertips. Pray tell, how can you and Handsome Jack achieve retribution against me when you're both wiped off the face of my planet?" These were the last words Rhys heard before a blinding purple light consumed his vision and a white hot pain shot straight through his body and into his heart._

 

*

 

A gasp escaped his lungs, which burnt like they were filled with fire and ash. His throat was cold, as though the air he breathed was ice. The lights were too bright and his lips were horrendously dry. He felt like death. He blinked, trying to adjust his vision. Was he in the medical wing? Where was Rhys?! He brought his hands up to rub his eyes but paused mid-rub when he couldn’t feel his scar. He spread his fingers and discovered his face was smooth, void of the disgusting crevasse he was so used to loathing. It was then that a computerised voice made him jump. 

“Handsome Jack Resurrection complete.  Vital signs normal and in line with original unit data. Welcome back, sir.”

“Huh?” was all he managed as his brain took in that information. 

“You may experience nausea, disorientation and confusion over the next few hours. This is completely normal. Take a few minutes to acclimatise before you attempt to leave the cryo chamber.” 

 

Oh.

 

So he’d like...died. 

 

_Great._

 

Finally adjusting to the brilliant white light of the cryo room, he looked about to find that he was alone. He wanted to throw himself out of the chamber he was tucked inside of - desperate to get back to Rhys - but his legs felt like jelly and his arms were weak. This new body wasn't as "perfect" as his head scientist had made out it would be. However, he couldn't even bring about the anger he would usually feel knowing something like that. All he could manage was complete and utter distress. He squirmed and threw his arms out of the chamber, pulling himself up. He shuddered with the exertion of it all and ended up tumbling out onto the solid, cold stone floor. He swore under his breath as he dragged himself to his feet, legs wobbling and struggling to keep him in an upright position. Clutching onto the pod he had just fallen from, Jack shuffled towards the door before realising he was only dressed in a medical robe. 

"Please find clothing and accessories in the closet to your left, sir," the voice announced, almost reading his mind. "You should see that everything is to your liking."

Thinking through each of his steps, he made it over to the closet eventually, in which he discovered an assortment of items that, as the computer had said, were certainly him right down to the underpants. Concern rocked him - how had Nakayama known what underwear he wore? Not that it mattered - he had more to be worried about right now. He snatched up random items and tugged them on, noticing that he was becoming stronger by the minute, which was a relief. Finally, clad in dark grey faded jeans, sneakers and a Hyperion sweatshirt, he went for the door and threw himself through it as fast as his new legs would carry him. 

The labs were empty and dark as he hobbled through them, but lights shone at the end of the hallway. He had to make it to the elevator. He had to make it to Rhys. He had no idea how long the entire body-exchange process had taken but all he did know was that he had to get back to where he'd last been, well, _alive._ He could work out what to do from there. Muscles tight and mind swimming, he somehow arrived at the elevator and collapsed against the wall once he'd pressed the appropriate button. He pinched the bridge of his nose before blinking, noticing his own reflection in the mirrored wall opposite. 

 

He could barely believe his eyes.

 

He stepped closer.

 

No scar. No creeping wrinkles. No grey in his hair. No signs of being anywhere near the age of forty-five. He was _young_ again. Twenty-five, in fact, if he remembered correctly. 

 

_Younger than Rhys._

 

He would've thrived on that if the situation had been different. Would have _lived_ for the idea. Instead, he had to look away from his new reflection; it was too much to bear. He didn't deserve this. _He_ should be the one laying...laying _dead_ in the depths of this place. 

 

Not Rhys. 

 

The doors slid open and he heard multiple panicked voices echoing from the other end of the hall. He picked up his pace, legs finding their stride, and threw himself around the corner to see-

Well, what he laid eyes on was nothing short of the worst and the strangest thing he'd ever seen. A group of scientists and security guards, along with Nakayama, huddled beside the bodies of Rhys and _him_ . Rhys was there, in his arms, thankfully turned away so Jack didn't have to see his face again. He didn't want to see him like that. Not yet. Not while he still fought to catch his breath. But he did see _his_ face, his own face. There they were - his own blank, unseeing eyes. 

 

It was haunting.

 

"Didn't I just tell you to do whatever it took?! Thought that had sounded like I wanted it sorted pronto!" he snapped, pushing himself off of the wall and into the room. He couldn't just stand there staring at his dead face any longer. They all jumped and stared at him in awe as he made his way towards Rhys. "What are you all still doing here?!"

Nakayama blinked up at him, fixing his glasses.

" _Incredible_ . Just _incredible_ . We arrived here a mere ten minutes ago. You've...you're back...almost as soon as you left. Just out _standing."_

"Shut your damn mouth, you can admire it all later." Carefully, all while feeling sick to his stomach, he pushed away his old body (which fell back with a horrendous thud) and picked Rhys up in his arms. He was cold and limp. 

 

And gone. 

 

Jack had seen death before many times; he'd even crossed the threshold himself to be standing there in his new form, but seeing this...witnessing Rhys like _this..._ it was almost too much to cope with. His legs gave way a little.

"Now tell me," he began, turning to Nakayama again with his eyes stinging. "What are you going to do about this?"

 

Nakayama nodded quickly and began to pace before Jack barked at him to stop and hurry up. 

"Yes-yes...sorry. Let me think."

He stood there awhile, the seconds ticking by. Jack was growing progressively more agitated and, when he finally spoke, Jack was near enough exploding.

"Well...as you know...we have been working on a machine to...to _temporarily_ revive fallen soldiers. To bring them back to the battlefield so that the battle is more easily won as they can continue fighting for a while-"

"The New-U machine. Yeah, I know the one."

They began walking then, heading for the elevators. Rhys was so heavy in his new arms and Jack was worried he wouldn't be able to hold him for much longer. That was when someone appeared alongside them with a metal table on wheels - one of those used for lab work. Begrudgingly, he carefully laid Rhys down upon it, stroking his hair and wiping the drying blood from his lips which were already growing a stomach-turning shade of grey. He swallowed back the tears that were burning in his throat.

"You want to use the New-U machine to bring him back _temporarily_?" he growled as realisation struck, hands tightening around the edge of the table. He brought his eyes from Rhys to those of Nakayama. "What fucking good is that?"

"No, yes, I see how that sounds most awful, but I do believe I have a plan!" The elevator doors slid shut and Nakayama was bumbling through his words again before Jack ordered him to spit it out. The head scientist took a long, careful breath.  "In order to create bodies, like the one you're in now, I need living tissue. If I can bring Atlas back, even for a moment, I could collect some of his DNA and have something to create him a new body. In that time, I'd of course have to insert a chip into his brain stem to collect his memories, but that is possible if the machine's work is successful...yes...but that's _if_ it is and-"

"You're babbling again!" Jack hissed, slapping him in the face. "What do you mean _if?!_

"Well...we've yet to undertake human trials. The skag trials proved incredibly successful, with patients surviving hours, even full Pandoran days, before they peacefully passed once again."

Jack's brain was buzzing. "Wait." He felt sick again. "Your answer to all this is creating a new body for Rhys? That's what you've got?!" He paused and took a breath. He closed his eyes. "We need direct Eridium for that." 

Nakayama nodded, this time sadly. "Indeed. We also need direct Eridium for the New-U machine to work. Luckily we have enough for that left in the pipes that were connected to the last Guardian, if my calculations are correct, but to grow the body...I'm afraid you would have to source it once again."

Jack stumbled back and allowed the other scientists to wheel the table out of the elevator as he stood there, clutching at his chest because his heart _hurt_. Breaths came but they were ragged and difficult and he saw a black and white haze clawing at the corners of his vision. A sudden arm under his own guided him through to a laboratory where lights were powering on, illuminating Rhys - who was still spread out on a metal table - under a harsh white light that made it look as though he was in a morgue, ready to be prepped for a funeral.

"You're saying that to bring him back for good, I have to source pure Eridium," he murmured, eyes flicking to Nakayama and then back to Rhys. It wasn't a question. He knew that it was the only way. A hand clasped his shoulder as he slumped down on a stool. His eyes, watering from both newness and torturous grief, found Nakayama's. He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry and thick with heartbreak. "Without the Guardians...that will be impossible." 

Nakayama sighed. "I wish I could help you with that one, Jack. I truly, truly do. But what I can at least give you is…" Their gazes fell upon Rhys. "I can give you both a few more hours together. If that's, uh, what this is all about. But sir, I _must_ ask. Why are you trying to bring back the one person whom your life would be easier without? This man…" Nakayama's face filled with disdain. Jack could have snapped his neck. "He holds power over Hyperion. With him gone, we could once again be back on top."

Jack swallowed and curled one hand around Rhys' ice-cold wrist and shot one up and around Nakayama's throat. He squeezed and pulled the man close. 

"If you question my decisions again, I'll squeeze hard enough to crack that skinny little windpipe of yours and no one would _ever_ be bringing _you_ back. You really think I would be doing this at all if he didn't _mean_ something to me?!"

It slipped out. He hadn't meant it to. People didn't need to-people shouldn't- There were hushed whispers behind him and in that moment he wished he had a gun to threaten their goddamn lives. 

"Got something to say, you _fucks_ ?" he roared, spinning, his voice finally finding its own. He didn't need a gun to make them cower - he was Handsome _goddamn_ Jack, new and improved. Boy, did they cower. One dropped the metal tray that was in their hands. One squeaked and apologized profusely. One hid behind another. "I didn't think so. No questions. No more _waiting._ " He turned back to Rhys and held his breath for a moment before lifting his glare to Nakayama. 

 

"Do it."

 

*

 

 _A spring morning. Soft, gentle light filtering in through the quaint, netted curtain. Birds were fluttering past the window pane, settling on the outer sill and softly singing their sweet melodies. The tree beyond the glass caught the sunrise in its leafy grasp, casting dappled shadows across the room._ Rayvar _. He was_ home _. He could hear his parents clattering about downstairs in their morning routine as they always did. Eyes still closed, he smiled to himself as he heard his newly-built robot companion beep into life. Taking a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh country air, he opened his eyes for what felt like the very first time._

 

*

 

"Ngh." 

Rhys struggled to see for a moment as the bright lights around him ensnared his vision. He blinked a few times before realising that he was in a bed in a bed in a hospital room and was surprised at how damn _good_ he felt despite…

 

_"I'm inside your head…"_

 

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, recalling the previous events that had unfolded with the Guardian and with- "Jack!" he blurted loudly, tears welling in his eyes as he was suddenly remembering the blood and the pain in Jack's eyes and the-

"Rhys?"

Rhys looked down beside him. There, sitting up from clearly sleeping against his thigh, was someone who looked strikingly like the Hyperion man he had grown to love. But this man was incredibly young. In his twenties, it appeared. There was no scar. No crow's feet. No greying hairs. 

"Jack...is that you?" Rhys asked, hand reaching out to touch, but he ended up pulling it back...just in case. He didn't get a verbal response. Instead, the man confirmed his identity when he stood, moved towards him and took his face in his hands, staring into his eyes. They looked at each other for a moment before the man's lips found his and god, this was _Jack._ He kissed him the same, the way he had since the first time. Rhys whimpered as the understanding of who this was sunk in. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he kissed him over and over again. 

"I thought...the Guardian said you wouldn't _survive_ -" he managed between kisses. 

"Turns out Guardians don't account for leftover Eridium in our pipes as part of their donations," Jack chuckled, stroking Rhys' hair as he leant back. He took a good look at him and Rhys did the same, in awe of the man before him. A trembling hand came up and traced where the deep blue scar had used to reside. 

"You're so young," he breathed, letting his finger drift along Jack's jaw. "So, so _young_."

"Shhh, baby, shh. We'll talk about all that later. Right now we have _so_ much to talk about."

Rhys cocked his head to one side as Jack clambered up onto the bed beside him and held him close. 

 

Jack took a deep breath.

 

*

 

As Jack continued on, Rhys progressively grew more irritable and anxious. He didn't speak, simply listening to the words that passed Jack's lips. Eventually, Jack's story came to an end and they both sat there in silence for a while. Jack heard Rhys swallow.

"So you have no idea when I'll just... _die_?" 

"...No."

A moment.

" _Amazing_ ," Rhys drawled, rolling his eyes which were beginning to turn glassy. "And then what? Poof? I never come back?" His voice cracked mid-sentence. Jack shifted.

"It's, uh, not looking likely. I don't know another way of getting access to pure, newly-harvested Eridium other than through a Guardian. And we're fresh outta those. Rhys, I'm so sorry-"

He was silenced by a finger held in the air. Rhys sat there for a moment, staring into space. His brow lowered and Jack felt him quiver against his chest. 

"Atlas will fall apart without me," he muttered, breath quickening. "Fuck."

"That's not really-"

"...What am I going to do?" 

"Rhys, I don't think-"

"No," Rhys snapped, slamming his fist on the bedding. "No, I have to figure out what the _hell_ I'm going to _do_." He threw himself off of the bed then and Jack swiftly followed him, worrying and telling him to please, please sit back down and just rest a while longer. "I mean, my company must think I'm dead by now anyway after the whole explosion situation and over the last however damn long it's been I've just had to push that to the back of my mind because, _god_ , there was nothing I could _do_ about it and there was no point letting my concern consume me and then I was finally alone with _you_ when I could have _called them at least_ and god, I was so _selfish_?" He was pacing frantically by this point, barely taking breaths and clutching himself around the chest as though he were in pain. "Now I have something I can do about it because I'm fucking _breathing_ and _focused_ so I need to go back to my company and sort out whatever hellscape it's become and-"

"Rhys, babe!" Jack grabbed his wrists and held him fast. "What we _need_ to focus on is finding a way to bring you back permanently. Right now you're…" Jack closed his eyes and his emotions away as best he could. "Right now, you're only temporary. It's like the veil between life and death has been lifted for a brief moment and we have to take this chance we've been given by the goddamn balls and _fix this."_ Jack was holding Rhys now; Rhys, who was breaking down in his arms. He was quickly becoming a shuddering, jittery mess.  "Atlas… it'll… it'll be fine… I'm sure of it."

Well, that was a lie. Jack knew, he _knew_ , that there was no one else in Atlas who could even come close to Rhys. No one could fill those shoes or keep it at its peak. Atlas stood a very real chance of falling apart without its CEO, the same way it had done all those years ago. Everything Rhys had built and worked for would have been for nothing. He couldn't even imagine what he would do or feel if he were in the same position. What even had the plausibility of being a feasible option?

"It _will_ be fine," Rhys said suddenly, pulling Jack out of his thoughts. Rhys was staring up at him with a look in his eyes that emanated something powerful. "Jack…" He swallowed before taking a deep breath. "Will you…will you take care of Atlas? Will you keep it alive until I come back?"

Jack couldn't help the laugh that escaped his mouth as shock and disbelief ripped through him.

"Seriously. I want you to take care of Atlas."

Jack frowned. "Don't be an idiot."

"Jack."

Jack let him go and ran a hand through his hair before staring him dead in the eyes. "You _do_ know that what you're suggesting is basically career suicide…? Your name will be struck off-"

"Jack!" Rhys growled, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling their faces closer. "I know what I'm saying. Let the world believe I'm... I'm taking an extended leave of absence of something after Hyperion found a way to rip my company from my grasp without spilling a single drop of blood."

A shiver shot down Jack's spine. Desperate times...

"But Atlas would never carry the strength it has right now ever again. It would be a laughing stock. Your share price would drop catastrophically, the worth of Atlas would be nothing but pennies. People wouldn't understand... It would rock the _planet._ Atlas would barely survive it at all-"

"But it would _survive_ ." Rhys had tears in his eyes now. He was clutching Jack by the shoulders hard and, behind his eyes, Jack could see him breaking in two. This was killing him more painfully than the Guardian had, it seemed. "If you love me, like you say you do, you'll make _sure_ it does. God, oh my _god_ ." He sank to his knees then, gasps barrelling out of his chest so hard and fast that his lungs could barely keep up. Jack dropped to the ground with him. "Everything I'm worth is in that company. If it fails...what was the point? I gave it all I could and you're the _only_ one who can even possibly keep its head above water. Will you do this for me? Will you protect Atlas while I'm gone?"

This was big. Maybe...just maybe, if Jack played his cards right, if he played the right _people_ right...Atlas may stand a chance during the fallout of a well-executed cooperation announcement. Fuck, years ago, Jack would have swept this offer up faster than lightning and then stuck a knife into the back of Atlas before turning the entirety of it into Hyperion. And he knew that he could have done it back then without Atlas losing too much of its worth. He would have swallowed it whole like a snake unhinges its jaw to consume a fat, juicy pig. But yet here he was, stupidly in love with the very CEO he'd vowed to overthrow back when Atlas had reared its ugly head from the grave. Here he was, nodding and saying he'd not only keep the Atlas name in tact but actually _protect_ it from outside forces who would wish to have it for themselves. The Atlas CEO thanked him profusely before shaking, turning pale and vomiting all over the hospital floor. 

 

*

 

When a CEO wants something done, it gets done. At least, when you were Handsome Jack and wanted something done it got done. So when Jack demanded that Rhys been brought a fine suit that would fit him perfectly, two seamstresses were located and brought to Jack's quarters within the base. Where his team had found them, Jack had no idea, but they dressed Rhys up mighty well before taking in the suit in certain places. Within the hour, Rhys was ready. He'd insisted he be correctly dressed if they were going to sign an agreement and a contract. In the back of his mind, Jack thought asking for a suit was a little ridiculous, but who could deny a dying man his wishes?

So there they were, both suited and sat at a conference table. Rhys carefully typed up the document that stated Handsome Jack was the one in control of Atlas while Rhys was "absent". Jack watched in silence. Rhys signed it and slid the tablet across the table for Jack to read and sign in return. But, before the tablet even reached him, Rhys was on his feet.  

 

He slammed the door as he left the room. 

 

*

 

Rhys pounded down the hallway, not caring or thinking about where he was going. He just needed to be _away_ . He'd had to deal with so much. _Too_ much. More than any person should ever have to. He was dizzy and his head hurt along with his stomach and heart. Jack was the only one. But Handsome Jack was Handsome Jack; did their love transcend his famous hunger for power? Would he come back from the dead to discover Atlas no longer existed but instead was a subsection of a bigger, better and undoubtedly unstoppable Hyperion? 

  


...Would he even be brought back at all?

  


Letting out a shriek of anguish, he spun on the spot and buried his face in his hands. He stood there, in the middle of the empty hall, tears spilling into his palms. He had to get back to his normal life as soon as possible. He couldn't stay dead. He _couldn't._ His new body was already being grown from the sample Nakayama had taken. There was no way Rhys would allow that body to grow and then rot. No way in hell. There had to be _something_. _Something_ that could help him in what was single-handedly the most trying time of his entire life. It surely couldn't be that he would just...perish? Stop existing?? With a heavy, juddering sigh, he leant against the wall and stared at the ceiling before slowly sliding down to the floor. 

 

He felt sick.

 

It was then that a thought crept into his mind. The deal he made with the Guardian. It was then that he was back in the lab, moments before his death. He remembered...he remembered something in the conversation he'd had with the Guardian while he'd been holed up in his own skull. 

 _"We made a deal. You promised you wouldn't harm the people I love if I accepted your terms and I love_ him _. You can't_ hurt _him. It would break the deal."_

“ _Oh? Isn’t it obvious yet? I've already got my revenge. He's bleeding out. He'll be dead in moments. And I'm inside your head with all the power of the Vaults at my fingertips. Pray tell, how can you and Handsome Jack achieve retribution against me when you're both wiped off the face of my planet?"_

A smirk crept onto his lips and he wiped away his tears.

 

Oh, that idiot Guardian had _really_ underestimated what two powerful, well-resourced humans could do. 

 

_*_

 

The door to the conference room flew open with a bang. Jack jolted in his seat, the pen in his hand skidding across the tablet screen as he read page fourteen.

"Uh-"

"The Guardian lied to me," Rhys growled, low and dangerous. "It lied to my _face._ " He stepped around the table to look Jack dead in the eyes. "In the Vault, back when I made the deal, it told me that no harm would come to me or my loved ones if I agreed to help it exact revenge." The now-older man furrowed his brow further. "But it did do that. In fact, it harmed _both_ of those things."

"That fucker went back on its word?"

"It sure did. It thought that because it was killing us both off that we couldn't seek revenge. So you can bet your ass it doesn't know that we're back." Rhys suddenly shifted excitably. "It doesn't know we're _back_ . We have the element of surprise." He began to pace. "We go for the Vault with my key. We take everything. Everyone. Every soldier. Every tank. Every Loader Bot and every fucking _bullet_ we have. We go to the Vault and we make them pay for what they've done."

"We? Rhys, if you've only got a short time I am _not_ putting you in the way of any kind of danger-"

A finger landed on his lips, shutting him up. 

"As long as I breathe air, I'm still head of the Atlas corporation." He gestured at the papers on the table. "It's in the contract. Meaning I will do _whatever_ I want _._ " 

Jack chuckled before sighing. "Even without that title, you'd still do whatever you want. That's just who you are, pumpkin."

Rhys smiled coyly, contemplating Jack's words. "True, that's true." His expression switched quickly though, turning serious. "But really. I have to be there. I wanna see them crumble when they hear what I have to say and when they see what I'm gonna _do._ "

"You know, I've got some ideas on what to say and do to them too."

"I'm sure you have."

Jack sat there a moment, staring into space with his chin propped in his hand. Rhys watched him curiously, noting how he occasionally narrowed his eyes or chewed on his lip.

"You _do_ remember I'm on a tight schedule-"

"...What if we renegotiate?" Jack suggested, still looking beyond Rhys. 

Rhys quirked up an eyebrow. "I thought you'd be down for a little Guardian killing?"

"Well, _yeah_ , don't get me wrong. I'd love nothing more than to see Guardian blood spattered all over the dirt of Pandora. _Especially_ by my own hand." The man stood, stretched and moved over to the window. Rhys joined him at his side. "But I _think_ I just thought of a way to keep you alive."

 

*

 

Rhys' Vault was unlike any other Vault they'd heard of. All Vaults opened with a key, but most closed for another millennia very soon after. Rhys' Vault, however, seemed to open any time he required. It was as though whoever possessed the key had control over access to what lurked inside. It was this piece of information that Jack clung to as they put together their plan. 

"You sure about this?" he asked as he watched Rhys use the Hyperion computer to hack both Atlas'  and Hyperion's systems with as much effort as it took for Jack to have a midnight piss. Rhys swallowed hard and nodded.

"There. With one press of that button, we'll be streaming to every screen that Atlas and Hyperion own."

"That's not answering my question, kitten."

"Well I'm not exactly fucking peachy, Jack," the man snapped, glaring up at him. "Handing over my company to my number one competitor and once sworn enemy was hard enough. But addressing my employees and telling them they work for _you_ now while you basically point a gun at my head?" He sighed and looked back at the screen. "Not exactly what I'd call the best day of my life."

Jack was quiet for a moment as Rhys opened something and began typing.

"Why not just tell them?" he pondered aloud. Rhys turned. 

"What?"

Jack shrugged. "Why not just be honest? Why not tell them about everything that's happened?"

It was then that Rhys snorted. "And confess to my company that I'm so weak that I fell in love? With _you_ of all people _?_ I don't think so. No one in their right mind would ever trust me in a position of power again."

"Ouch, that hurt," Jack hissed, placing a hand on his heart. "But really...they'd find out eventually, surely?"

Rhys blinked, staring at Jack almost in disbelief. "Well _duh, obviously._ But that would be after I'd eased them into knowing. I'm not blasting them with the sudden knowledge that we're fucking. That is _not_ the way I want to be remembered." 

Jack pouted. "Suit yourself." A beat of silence. "But they're gonna think you're weak anyway when I'm sitting here telling them I wound up snatching Atlas from you."

They both glared at one another for a moment before Rhys sighed and slumped his shoulders. 

"There's no other choice. We can't tell them about us. I won't _give_ Atlas to you outright. I _won't_ merge under Hyperion and I _can't_ leave without an explanation. I owe my employees and myself at least that much."

"Well come on then, cupcake," Jack said, a strange tone in his voice. He slid into the chair beside Rhys and pointed at the monitor. Jack swallowed and almost choked on his words. "Let's do this." 

"...Jack? Are you okay?"

"Yes...yeah...just don't wanna see you feeling uh... _worse._ That's all. But guess it's...inevitable."

Rhys straightened his tie, smoothed back his hair and pressed the button. Jack's entire composure and posture changed instantly as soon as the 'live' sign appeared.

"Yo there, you  _fucks_ ! It's Handsome Jack here!" Finger guns. God, Hyperion still did finger guns? Rhys shook his head and chuckled. "Bet you all thought I was _dead_ but may I remind you that _hey-"_  A clap. "-Handsome  Jack doesn't die. I'm a god, baby! You're probably thinking: _'Oh Jack, my hero! You're alive and well! And looking more Handsome than ever!!!'"_ Rhys smirked at the high-pitched tone Jack had adopted. Jack smacked his own cheeks with a grin. "This is what a crazy amount of money can get ya." Rhys rolled his eyes. "Speaking of money - hey there, Atlas corporation!" Jack waved into the camera as he threw an arm around Rhys. "Bet you were crapping your pants that your cute little boss had also popped his skagskin clogs but nah nah nah! He's here. With _me."_

Jack then looked at Rhys. Rhys looked back at him. For a split second, the real Jack shone through and something in his eyes put Rhys on edge. Jack turned back to the screen, resuming his Handsome Jack routine.

"These last few days have been a test of your loyalty to your causes, Atlas and Hyperion. You both listening? 'Cause I'm here to announce that Atlas and Hyperion are joining together for a...a lil' _business venture._ " Rhys eyebrows shot up. This hadn't been part of the plan. He wanted to cut the video off but Jack kept talking. "Now, we all know that Atlas has always pissed me the hell off but the proof is in the money and in that area, Atlas has always been the better company since Rhys took over. And no, he's not here with a gun to my back making me say this shit. Heh. First time for everything though, right?" Jack forced a laugh. Rhys blinked. "The explosion was planned so we would have time to disappear and discuss a merger without interruption." Rhys was ready to explode. What the actual _fuck_ was happening?! "Atlas had an offer for me that I couldn't refuse. From now on, Hyperion no longer exists as it's own company." Rhys saw beads of sweat form along Jack's hairline. Jack's hands curled around the arms of the chair as his words slowly fell from his mouth. "From now on, Hyperion will be a part of the Atlas-Hyperion corporation. You'll be answering to me and to Rhys." He pointed at Rhys, whose heart had stopped beating. He knew he was white as a sheet and that his mouth was hanging open. "We all know Hyperion was falling behind. This way, we get to at least stay a part of the top dogs. Expect information coming your way on this merger to know how it affects your department. Jack out."

Jack pressed the button quick before letting out a breath he'd clearly been holding in. He was shaking, his face turning colourless. 

"Sorry... I couldn't say any more. I...I...I couldn't...uh...I could barely _talk_ any more…"

" _Jack,_ " Rhys gasped.

"I'm sorry! It just...came out...! I wasn't even planning on it...I just...it was something that I'd barely considered because...well...heh...im sure you already know and understand. But...I have _time_ to pick my company up from the ground. You don't."

They sat there, Rhys gawking at Jack in disbelief and Jack staring at the floor.

 

Handsome Jack had just made a decision that nose-dived Hyperion into the dirt. He'd slit the throat of a company he'd spent years building in a two-minute speech and let its blood gush out till it ran dry. 

 

And he'd done it all for _Rhys_. 

 

"Jack."

 

"I...oh."

 

"Jack, you just...did that."

 

"I, uh, did," Jack replied, finally sitting up and straightening himself. "I _did._ "

 

"...Why."

 

Jack turned to Rhys, a little colour returning to his face and a small smile on his lips. He took Rhys' hand in his. What Rhys _knew_ was faux-confidence played on his features.

"Like I said, babe. I have time to fix what I've just done. You wouldn't have. Can't leave you out there in the shit, can I? Permanently dying is a fucking terrible hand to be dealt. Think you've been through enough."

 

The pain, the hurt and the devastation of giving up years of work rang through in every word he spoke.

 

He'd just _given_ Hyperion to Atlas. To _Rhys_. 

 

He'd just _saved_ Rhys from everything he'd been frightened of. In fact, he'd just elevated Rhys to being the most powerful man on Pandora and beyond. 

 

And all because he **loved** him. 

 

Everything that had been building in Rhys - the distress, the sadness, the worry, the fear - it all escaped him then. He broke, chanting 'thank you' over and over as he climbed into Jack's lap, wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face into his chest. Jack's fingers found his hair and there they sat together for what felt like years, allowing the realisation to sink in that both of their worlds had changed completely.

 

Was it for better or worse?

 

Neither had a goddamn clue. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enthusiastic YouTuber voice: Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe!!!! :D :3


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO 
> 
> I wrote 7 and a half thousand words of PLOT PROGRESSION 
> 
> Please enjoy 
> 
> uwu
> 
> Thank you so so so much to @saffytaffy6 on twitter for being my amazing beta and putting up with all my nonsense ;_; ILY

"Rhys," Jack murmured eventually, his voice cracking from lack of use. He stroked his fingers through Rhys' hair, as he had done the entire time they'd sat there, and continued to do so as Rhys sat up. Jack gritted his teeth, sighing. "We have to go and deal with the Guardians now."

Rhys rubbed his eyes and pouted. Jack's throat dried up. God, he was gonna miss Rhys so damn much when he was gone.

 

_Don't think about that._

 

"Can't we just have a moment of peace?" Rhys huffed miserably. "I just need to stop for a _minute_ and fucking breathe."

"We've had all the time we can really afford to use up right now. You're on a-"

"Yes!" Rhys hissed, balling his hands into fists and landing them on Jack's chest with a soft thump. "Yes, I'm _well_ aware that I'm on a damn time limit. I just wish...I just wish we could...I just want to…" He leant forward, taking Jack's face in his hands, and kissed him softly. "Do that…" He kissed him again. "Over and over and over again." Jack found it incredibly difficult but he managed to turn his head and guide Rhys' face away from his own.

"I cannot _explain_ how much I want that too, kitten, but we have to deal with the Guardians first. We have to save _you_ first.  _Then_ we can...uh...do _other_ things." Jack waved his hand in the air and frowned. Suddenly, he became overwhelmed by the emotion of having told Rhys 'no' and so pulled him by the collar and kissed him hard, squeezing his eyes shut as he did so. "Things like that." He kissed him once more, their desperate tongues meeting briefly, which sent a bolt of electricity up Jack's spine. "Over and _over_ again." 

"You're beginning to contradict yourself," Rhys chuckled, bracing himself by holding Jack's shoulders. "But you're right." He climbed off and, standing tall, he picked up the tablet from the table and pressed a button. "We need to act _now._ "

 

*

 

Here's the thing. 

 

When two prolific CEOs die in an explosion, it causes...problems. 

 

Big, big problems. 

 

...As you can probably imagine.

 

And - as it often goes - the accountability of the companies, and the fallout of the shitstorm caused by said deaths, falls to the personal assistants. For a while at least, until the company can get its shit together.

 

So when Meg of Hyperion and Penelope of Atlas both watched their respective screens and saw their bosses and heard Jack's speech, they were both absolutely

 

fucking

 

_raging._

 

"Did you see? That _shit_?" Meg snapped at the ECHO, pacing behind Jack's desk. She watched the other PA suck in a breath. 

"I'm going to kill him myself. _Myself_ ! How could they _do_ this to us?! You'd think...after everything we give...after how _close_ we are...that he'd...that Rhys would at _least-_ "

"Penny, honey, I know. _Trust_ me. I know. But you know what? _We_ have kept these companies running smoothly since those pricks apparently " _died"._ Maybe we should just say 'fuck them' and kick them out? Take Hyperion and Atlas - _sorry,_ Atlas-Hyperion - for ourselves?"

A pause. A small chuckle. "I don't think we can do that, however tempting it sounds."

"What good are those idiots though? Really?"

Penny smirked and rolled her eyes. "No good at all. But from the looks of that video, Jack seems pretty volatile right now, and I really wouldn't want to find out he'd shot you into space after you tried pushing him out of his own company."

"Oh, Penny, I'd _love_ to see him _try_."

 

*

 

"I'm going to _fucking_ kill you."

"Meg, baby, please-"

"You think? That you can do all _that?_ Without discussing it with _anyone else at Hyperion?!"_

Her sharp, pointed nail dug into his chest hard.

"Meg-"

"We are an absolute joke! The board is losing its shit! I've had two members resign already and go to god only _knows_ what other company. Every department is freaking out and trying to get answers and _I'm_ the one that's holding everything together despite the fact that I don't actually have any answers!!"

"And I _love_ you for it-"

" _Love_ me?! Yeah, right. If you did, you'd have kept me in the loop. I'm _seething._ And don't even get me _started_ on how pissed Penny is with Rhys."

Rhys looked over from his own ECHO upon hearing his name, a sheepish look on his face. Jack noticed the screaming erupting from Rhys' ECHO device and winced before turning back to Meg. 

"I'm...sorry." He hung his head. For anyone else, he'd be threatening their very existence. But with Meg? She was his best friend (though he'd never outwardly admit that to her) and, in her eyes, he'd let her down astronomically. The thought was painful. "I'll explain everything when I see you. I promise. But right now I need a huge favour."

The expression of wild fury that crossed her face was almost laughable but Jack knew that if he _did_ let that thought show, he would genuinely lose his life.

"A favour? Are you-"

"Meg...just....just...shut the fuck up for a second. This is life and death!" Oh boy, he was gonna get _murdered._ "I need every available tank, Loader, soldier, Constructor we have sent to the location I'm sending over to you now."

Meg blinked and shook her head. "I'm worried about you. Are you having some kind of psychotic break? Are you depressed? Is this a mid-life crisis? Not that it really _could_ be classed as that now that you look like _that_. I'm guessing the body plan worked."

Jack grinned and ran a hand over his smooth, youthful cheek and jaw. "You like it?"

" _Jack_ ," Rhys snapped from beside him, elbowing him in the ribs. "Focus."

"Is that Rhys?" Meg hissed. "Let me speak to him."

Without argument, Jack passed Rhys the ECHO and so there the new Atlas-Hyperion CEO sat, one person yelling at him in one hand and one yelling at him in the other. Jack sat back, folded his arms and watched. He chuckled as he watched Rhys trying to placate both PAs with apologies and promises.

Jack stopped laughing when he realised this may be the last time either of them ever saw him. He therefore swiftly snatched Meg back, relief and appreciation in Rhys' eyes, and sent her the coordinates as she screeched at him some more.

"Are you even _listening_ , you over-privileged sack of shit?"

"You've got a real foul mouth, you know that?" he snapped back.

A deep breath.

" _You are quite literally the only one in the universe who makes me this way."_

"Look. Can you just confirm that you can help make this happen?" 

A long pause. A deep, _deep_ sigh. 

"Whatever you say, _sir._ " Her voice turned to a mumble. "You _dick_."

The ECHO turned black. Jack bit his lip. 

"Well, that went well."

Rhys had already finished talking to Penelope and was watching him. 

"I think we _both_ did a great job there. I mean, they only yelled for most of the conversation. Not all of it."

"I'd say that's a win."

 

*

 

The journey to the Vault was tedious. They both sat there in the Hyperion-issue car, not quite knowing what to say. Rhys looked out to the horizon, the sun just peeking over the blue mountains in the distance. His stomach churned.

He wouldn't be seeing another sunrise for a while, not with the length of Pandoran days and nights. It glinted at him from between two peaks that were the highest on Pandora; Rhys knew the ones. His Vault was nestled in the depths of the valley that crawled between them, the entrance to it out of sight and out of knowledge of anyone but him. He'd asked Penny to bring the backup close but not close enough that they'd be able to follow them in unless absolutely necessary. 

 

Rhys hoped it wouldn't come to that.

 

In fact, his very existence depended on not making use of his army. 

 

Suddenly, a hand wrapped around his. He hadn't realised how much he'd been fidgeting until Jack's thumb rubbed soothing circles into the back of his hand. 

"We'll manage it," Jack said, smiling at him before turning his eyes back to desert ahead. "This isn't the end, baby." 

Rhys swallowed, back of his nose painful with the tears he was holding back. 

"Then why does it feel like it is?" The hand that had taken his squeezed his hard, but the man who it belonged to said nothing because really, what was there to say?

 

*

 

"Meg?!" Jack announced in surprise upon seeing her standing there, hands on her hips and a frown on her face. "What are you doing here?"

The woman in question rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "As if I'm going to organise all _this-"_ She gestured behind her at all of the Hyperion militia awaiting command. "-and not be here to ensure it all operates smoothly."

Jack let out a sound of approval. "I should give you my job."

Meg blinked and laughed until she had tears in her eyes. "Oh my _god,_ you _should."_ Despite her laughter, she sounded incredibly serious. 

"Meg," Rhys interjected, stepping past Jack and smiling meekly. "It's been so long."

She glared at him for a moment, looking him up and down like he was something repugnant on the sole of her shoe. Eventually, however, she crumbled, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. She then reached out and tugged Jack over to them by the collar and held them both close.

"I'm really glad you didn't both die," she mumbled against Rhys' cheek. "However much you both piss me the hell off, losing you was...horrendous." She pulled back with tears in her eyes which Rhys wiped away gently with his thumb as tears sprung up in his own eyes.

 

_Oh Meg, how little you know._

 

She chuckled sadly before taking a breath and stepping back, straightening her jacket. 

"It's good to see you, Meg," Rhys said with a smile so forced that it hurt to let it appear on his face.

 

_It really is good to see you._

 

_It just hurts that it might be the last time._

 

Sure, Rhys hadn't seen Meg for a long time. She was Jack's PA and Jack had been the enemy, thus placing her in a dual position. But they had grown so close while he'd been at Hyperion; close enough to call one another friends.

"It's good to see you too, Rhys. I'm very pleased that you rethought the moustache." She tapped her upper lip and her eyes crinkled at the corners in the way they always had, slightly more so now after time had passed, but they were still eyes that warmed his heart just as they had done the first time he'd seen them years before. He watched as her demeanour changed from emotional to professional and he couldn't help the huff of approval he made.

 

_You've come so far._

 

 _"_ You've both got a _lot_ of explaining to do," she said, addressing the both of them, folding her arms. "Hyperion is falling apart, Jack! Why are we all here? Why bring together Hyperion and Atlas the way you did and then haul us all over to these mountains? Why-"

"I told you," Jack muttered through clenched teeth, suddenly sounding dangerous. Suddenly sounding like Handsome Jack. "You'll find out soon enough. Stop asking fucking _questions_ and just follow goddamn _orders."_

His shoulders rolled back and he stalked away, disappearing behind a powered-down Constructor. Meg looked ready to kill but Rhys threw his hands up, begging her with his eyes to just stay _away_ and he quickly darted round to find Jack leaning against the bot, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"Jack, are you-"

"If you ask if I'm okay, I'll punch the pretty outta you," he snarled, throwing his head back to stare at the sky. Rhys took a step closer. "Of course I'm not _okay_ ." His voice was grating and sarcastic and filled with anguish. "My company is down the shitter, my best friend hates me and I have one single shot to save the only person in this universe I've chosen to fucking _love."_ He turned, hands balled into fists, tears in his eyes. "I had _everything_ , Rhys! _Everything_ !" Rhys went to place a hand on Jack's cheek but the man pulled back. He blinked hard, throwing his eyes to the sky once more and wrapping his arms around himself. "And now I'm this close-" He brought up his thumb and index finger, shaking his hand, "-to having absolutely _nothing."_

"Angel-"

"Angel is _thriving_ without me!" Jack yelled, laughing despite himself. "She's actually making a life for herself beyond her asshole of a father who didn’t know how to help her and royally fucked up trying. A father who can barely look after himself let alone a child. If we can't do this, Rhys, what else do I have to live for? If I can't bring you back...what's the fucking point?"

A firm smack around the jaw with a well-aimed open palm seemed to bring Jack somewhat out of his moment of misery. What helped even more was Rhys then shoving him against the Constructor and slamming a hand on the yellow metal beside Jack's head. 

"God, pull yourself _together_." Jack only stared at him then. “You’ve got Atlas and Hyperion to run in my absence. Maybe even forever." The word tasted like ash in Rhys' mouth. "I need _Handsome_ Jack to come out to play for a while. Put the damn _mask_ back on for all I care, if that's what it takes! And you _promised_ me! You _promised_ me you could handle this! You have not just thrown Hyperion to the dogs for nothing. You have _not_ just changed my entire company forever for _nothing._ If you don’t damn well _sort it out, Jack,_ you’ll not only smear my memory with shit but you’ll be smearing yours with it too.” Rhys took Jack’s face in his hands and glared at him. “I have given you _my_ everything _._ My company. My life. My life is _literally_ in your hands. If you don’t suck it up, take a breath and _deal_ with it, I’ll...I’ll...I’ll goddamn haunt your ass.” Rhys raised a finger. “And, _shit_ , you know I will.” 

 

_Yeah, use humour to break the tension and the swirling fear that has your heart hammering in your chest._

 

_How pathetic._

 

_Good one, Rhys._

 

At this, Jack gave a small smirk - quite obviously despite himself - but he met Rhys’ eyes which for Rhys was all he needed to know he’d won. Jack quickly grumbled and leant back against the Constructor again, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. 

“What am I gonna do without you, Rhysie?” was all he said as he frowned. Rhys took him by the shoulders.

“You'll survive because your Handsome Jack and he can power through anything. Meanwhile, I forbid you from moping about it until we actually get answers from the Guardians. We haven’t even been told it’s not possible yet but here you are assuming the worst.” Rhys stepped closer and ran a thumb across Jack's lips, watching as he did so. “You’re a _mess_ . Why the _hell_ do I love _you_ of all people?”

Jack leaned in, a forced but still present shit-eating grin now plastered on his face. 

“Because I’m a _hot_ mess-”

“Jack?” came a familiar voice from around the side of the bot and both men scrambled before springing apart. Meg froze and eyed them in great surprise. “Oh...uh...am I interrupting something?” 

“No.” “Nope.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Penny!” she shrieked, turning her head to look behind herself. “Think you’re gonna want to hear about this!”  
The pit of Rhys’ stomach fell away as his trusty PA stalked around the corner. Her eyes found his and they were filled with unmatchable fury. It looked as though she were about to descend upon him with the fires of hell at her command but Meg threw up her arm and stopped her. Penny gave her an indignant glare.

“Penny, hun. You’ll never _guess_ what I just stumbled upon.”

“Meg, please-” Jack began, reaching out a hand, but Meg continued.

“Just caught them all up against one another behind the Constructor bot. Real schoolyard shit. You think they’d have had the decency to tell us.”

“You think they’d have had the decency to tell us about the merger but hey, here we are.”

“You owe me two hundred bucks,” Meg said, gleaming. She turned to Penny and held out her hand. Penny rolled her eyes.

As this exchange took place, Rhys and Jack’s jaws simultaneously dropped and they quickly glanced between one another and at their personal assistants. 

“You were betting on us?”

“Of course.”

“Why wouldn’t we? It was inevitable.”

“But I never said anything that would have-”

“And _I_ never gave any kind of sign that-”

“Didn’t have to,” Penny and Meg said together, shrugging. 

“I’m very observant,” Penny announced. 

“And you really think I didn’t notice things going on when we were all back on Hyperion together?” Meg added. “You two just got more and more stupid trying to hide your damn feelings as the years went by.” 

Rhys sniffed. “I've been nothing but professional.”

Jack placed his hands on his hips. “You’re stepping over a line, ladies-”  
Rhys’ hand found Jack’s shoulders. “I think they deserve to step over every line they want right now, Jack. That’s the least they deserve. Plus, we need to leave them with _every_ line to cross while we go into the Vault.”

“You’re actually going into the Vault?” Penny asked, making her way to Rhys. “I was concerned when you asked me to bring the key. You haven’t stepped foot in there for years. All this firepower is for that?” Her face paled as realisation crossed her features. “What are you _doing_ , Rhys?”

Rhys smiled weakly and took her hand. “Nothing I can’t handle. Just...promise me you’ll have my back, like always?”

“Rhys-”

“Do you trust me?” 

She looked him up and down, then glanced at Jack and Meg before finding Rhys’ eyes. She swallowed and nodded.

“Always.” 

Rhys nodded back. “We’ll explain everything, but right now me getting to that Vault as soon as possible is quite literally life and death.” He leant forward and kissed her on the cheek. A pause. He threw his arms around her and held her tightly. If she were in the know, she might have realised the farewell Rhys squeezed into it. “Just make sure you’re at the other end of the ECHO when I need you, okay?” 

“Okay, just...please come back alive, Rhys.” 

He smiled. It was small, but it was there. And filled with monumental sadness.

“I wouldn’t dream of anything less, Penny.” 

 

*

 

They walked to the Vault in silence, alone, hands locked tight together. Rhys had the Vault key in a case at his side. Jack had never really been a "let's hold hands" kinda guy - it didn't fit the badass approach he always worked so hard to put out into the world. But he would make an exception for this god awful moment of his life; what made it extra terrible was that Jack could feel Rhys trembling quite ferociously. Jack had to push away the notion that they may come out of this empty-handed. He had to cancel out thoughts that this could be the last day he'd be graced with Rhys' presence. If he didn't…

 

He was certain he'd shatter like a piece of glass. 

 

And right now, he needed to be strong for Rhys. He couldn't bear the thought of what was going through his mind. Jack chanced a look at him. His features were twisted with what appeared to be determination and anguish. But when he noticed Jack watching him, and he turned his head to face him, he shoved Jack against the wall of rock beside them. 

 

It hurt.

 

"Wipe that look of _misery_ off of your face, you dick," he spat, eyes crazed and filling with tears. "If we don't go in headstrong, we _lose."_ He blinked and glared, tears escaping and streaming down his cheeks with tragic irony. "I _won't_ die today. I _can't_ die today." A metal finger painfully jabbed his chest and he wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his other arm. "Now, suck it up and let's _go._ "

With that, Rhys stalked towards a small yet thick copse of trees, leaving Jack sniffing and lowering his eyebrows. The glass that held him together cracked.

 

He took a very deep breath. 

 

It was time to save Rhys and nothing would get in his way because he never wanted to see Rhys look like because of _anything_ ever again. 

 

Rhys disappeared between the trees and Jack followed him in. The entrance to the Vault loomed ahead, set against the rock face and almost invisible to anyone who wasn't hunting for it. Rhys was standing before it, staring up at the archway with his hands on his hips. When Jack appeared at his side and took in his face, all signs of tears were gone. In fact, he was smirking at the Vault.

"These Guardians haven't got a chance in hell," he announced, grinning. Jack's mouth twitched. Rhys looked like a man teetering on the edge of insanity. 

"Surely they'll know we're here by now?" Jack said, glancing between the Vault and the man who held its power in his grasp. "They'll be expecting us."

" _Good_ ," Rhys hissed, voice spilling over with venom, as he bent and shoved the key into place in the ground. He stood, straight as a pole, dusting off his hands. "Then they'll know just what shitstorm they have coming to them."

If the situation wasn't so fundamentally dire, Jack would be all sorts of aroused by the way Rhys was suddenly stone-cold and out for blood.

 

_'He wore CEO like he was freaking born to do it.'_

 

Jack couldn't help the way his lip quirked at the memory of Rhys, injured in his arms after their fall from the train, and how Jack had contemplated letting him bleed out into the Pandoran dirt so that he could take back from Atlas what he felt was rightfully his. But as he gazed at Rhys now, the only thing that was rightfully his in the universe wasn't power or money or stock prices; it was this strong and _beautiful_ man who, despite the odds, was staring death in the face like it had a loose booger hanging out of its damn nose. 

 _Not today, fuckers_ , Jack cackled to himself. If Rhys could smirk in the face of such grave, immeasurable danger, then so could he. He swiftly flicked his eyes to the door which hummed to life, the swirling purple mist of an opening Vault curling from within the innards of the portal. Rhys looked expectantly over his shoulder at him. Jack stepped up and clenched his jaw, nodding. 

They entered the Vault. 

 

*

 

It was as cold and as bright as Rhys remembered. His heart slammed against the inside of his ribcage, but there was no way in hell he would let it show. Not to them, anyway. No, he and Jack made their way into the cavernous central chamber with their heads held high and their jaws set. The Guardian he'd met there years ago was awaiting them as he'd assumed it would be. 

"I see you're both alive and well," it stated coldly, regarding them with a tilted jaw and a cruel twist in its dark eyes. Rhys smiled, albeit that his heartbeat had quickened. 

"Oh, very," he replied, folding his arms. "Didn't bet on that, did you? See-" He stepped forward. "-we clever little humans can be very hard to kill."

It sneered at him. "Like _weeds_ ." Suddenly it was in Rhys' face, nose to nose. "What do you _want_ ? You come here with hundreds of soldiers and machines yet you enter our realm with only a pistol each and eyes of fire which can do _nothing_ against our power." It slid back. Eyed him up. _"Explain._ "

"So you've seen the army? Great," Rhys replied, matching the Guardian's stance. "Then you know how serious we are about being here. One wrong move and our militaries will blow this place to kingdom come. You really want to take that chance?"

When it scowled and spun away, a sense of triumph alit in Rhys' chest, but he forced himself to lock it down.

 

 _Not yet_.

 

"Name your terms," it breathed, still not able to look either of them in the eye.

"Protection. For your Vault. For you. From anyone ever trying to do what I did to you again." Jack had puffed out his chest. His pride was now shot to hell; Rhys could see it in the twitch of his eyebrow and jaw. He seemed pleased when Rhys took over.

"In return for this protection, you let us access Eridium and let _only_ us access it. And you give us as much as _you_ see fit. Then it’s on _your_ terms. You couldn't ask for a better deal if that's all the revenge we are taking." The two humans were side by side now, shoulders brushing. 

A long, heavy silence followed as the Guardian remained facing the opposite wall. After what felt like an age, it began to mutter, as though in discussion with things invisible to the mortal men standing behind it. 

"You know your Vault isn't like the others. It can be opened by any asshole - at any time - _if_ they have the key. And _we_ do. We could destroy this fugly place in an _instant_. And all we're asking for is a little-"

"WE KNOW OF WHAT YOU ASK!" 

It spoke in a thousand voices that bit at the furthest reaches of their ear drums. It was now pinning Jack against the glistening white wall; it had him by the throat, it's long fingers visibly tightening with each passing second. Rhys went to move, hand on his gun, but Jack held up his own hand, forcing him to stop.

"You terrible humans come to _our_ world and dare to suggest that we are so weak that we are not capable of protecting ourselves? You assume we can be _trained_ and kept like _pets_ while you rinse us of our lifeblood for as long as you desire? _No_ . I think _not._ "

Jack was almost glowing with anger. "We will _kill_ you-"

"We haven't _finished_ ," the creature snapped, letting Jack drop to the floor where he landed with a crunch. Rhys eyed him warily but Jack throwing up a thumb as he groaned and clambered to his feet was enough to have Rhys instead staring the Guardian down. The creature closed in on him. The rancid breath that filled the air around him stank like month-old carrion and the teeth that were sharp as daggers did not go unnoticed, but he still channelled the strength to stare it dead in the eyes.

"We will not be _kept_ like _beasts_ ,” it hissed, dragging out the word. “We do not need your feeble human protection to stand guard beyond our walls.” Its lip quirked. “We can give you Eridium. Enough to create more unnatural bodies like that in which _he_ stands." It pointed at Jack in disgust, squinting its eyes. "Bodies with which you can do as you please. We will let you mine it for _one_ Pandoran year but _only_ if you promise us protection on _our_ terms."

Jack lunged, teeth bared. "Did you not _hear_ that we could blow you stupid fuckers to _oblivion-_ "

Rhys threw up a hand. "Go on."

The Guardian took a moment then, placing its hands behind its back and floating towards the entrance of the Vault. It stared into the purple mist.

"At the end of that year, when you've drunk your fill of our Eridium, you will return to this place and destroy the key."

Rhys and Jack glanced at one another. 

“You want the key destroyed?” 

“Of course,” it mused, its ethereal voice now void of the cutting tone it had taken before. “That key - like all Vault keys -  was created many eons ago by those who wished to harness the greater potential of Pandora. With the keys in existence, we will never be free to exist in our realm without you despicable, power-hungry humans and your reckless intervention. Destroy the key… grant us _peace_ at last… and you can have your Eridium.”

Jack was at Rhys’ side now. 

“Five years,” he bargained, placing his hands behind his back and grinning. Rhys rolled his eyes. Jack did always like to push limits. “Five years of Eridium and then we’ll play your game.”

 

The Guardian laughed. It was an odd, unsettling sound, like bones rattling in strong winds. 

“You never fail to be predictable, Jack. The Eridium will simply stop flowing after one year. You can keep trying, but it will never come. And if you don’t come back after the year?” It turned then, and suddenly the two men were surrounded by Guardians of all shapes and sizes. In the same instant, both Jack and Rhys had their pistols out, aiming all around them. “Any Eridium that you mined will turn to dust along with anything born from it. However, the curse we will place on our Eridium will fall away as soon as the key is destroyed as we will immediately lose access to any Eridium beyond our grasp.” 

“One year?” Rhys pondered aloud. If he wasn’t careful, he’d lose out on even an ounce of Eridium by pushing his luck. “That key would sure look tempting to anyone who found out they could use it to bargain for far more Eridium than _we_ have suggested we’ll take.” 

“Three years,” it growled, gnashing its pointed teeth in his face by the time he’d blinked. “Three years of mining - we’ll _show_ you where to dig - and you come back here personally and destroy. that. key.” Its hand was gripped in the folds of his shirt, pulling him up so that his feet were barely touching the ground. “And if you _don’t?”_ It smiled a horrendous, carnivorous grin. “I’ll take great pleasure in knowing that the meaningless dust of your newest corpse is finally settled in the Pandoran dirt where it _belongs_.” 

Despite being hoisted in the air by a literal monster, it took everything in Rhys not to explode with joy. Not only could they process a body for him, they still had access to Eridium like Atlas had done when he’d first discovered the Vault with Fiona. But now it was different. Rather than simply selling the Eridium off for money, they could also create new bodies. Bodies upon bodies. 

 

 _Immortality_. 

 

 _That's_ what Jack had been getting at back in the truck when he'd first told Rhys of his plans.

 

Rhys would not only have his life back, but potentially many more to look forward to _if_ they met the Guardian's terms. Three years. 

"Deal," he hissed. "Now put me _down_."

It did. He was only a few inches off the ground but he landed awkwardly and fell to the floor. Jack was instantly at his side, helping him to his feet, but both men had their eyes locked on the Guardian. 

"I'm surprised, though, really," it mused nonchalantly, but a glimmer in its eye flashed and Rhys didn't take kindly to it. "Surprised that you would agree to a deal which involves _this_ man-" It gestured at Jack. "-who would do such terrible things to you with the very substance you came here to bargain for. Humanity is _so_ bizarre _."_

Rhys cocked his head to the side. "Huh?" 

Jack clenched his teeth. "What the fuck are you-"

"Eridium is a very versatile creature," the Guardian continued, its hand suddenly glowing purple. All three watched it. "It can be used for many things. Humanity has barely tapped its potential." It passed the purple light from one hand to the other. "But of what you _have_ managed… Well, Jack would know all about _that_." Its lip curled in a cruel smile. "Hyperion is renowned for its scientific breakthroughs with our lifeblood."

It was now time for Rhys to look to Jack, who was glaring at the beast. His fists were clenched and he was oddly pale. Confusion at what was taking place swept through Rhys.

"Jack, what's it getting at?"

The Hyperion man swung his eyes round to Rhys'. They were wide. Was he...frightened? The Guardian didn't let Jack explain.

"Extract of Eridium ore, mixed with DNA molecules of the mimosa pudica plant… Tell us, what does that do, Jack?"

All eyes were on Jack. Jack, who was usually so quick off the mark and snarky as hell. Who always had a way out with words. 

 

For a man like that to be caught speechless, well, Rhys was certainly intrigued. 

 

"The extract and the molecules form a liquid capable of erasing memories," he stated through gritted teeth. "It's powerful and only Hyperion has the recipe and the substance."

"Correction! It doesn't erase memories, it simply subdues them until someone like _me_ comes along to draw out the Eridium." the Guardian said, grinning. It turned to Rhys. "Now, would you say that it works, Rhys?"

"What…?"

"Well, being a Hyperion guinea pig for it I'd assume you can tell us-" The Guardian stopped at the same time as Rhys' heart stopped beating. "Oh, how _foolish_ of me. How could you _possibly_ recall something you've been made to forget? I _apologise_ for asking too much of you-"

"Jack," Rhys said, trying to keep his voice on an even keel. This was all a sick joke...right? The Guardian was just trying to get into his head. He took a breath, trying to do it as steadily as he could. "Is that true?"

Like a deer in the headlights, Jack's eyes widened and his pupils shrank. He took a step towards Rhys, who took a large step back and threw his hands in the air. 

"Is it _true_ ?" Rage bubbled up in him now, so much so that he was visibly shaking with it. "Answer me." He aimed the pistol in his hand at Jack's heart. " _Now_."

"Rhys, Rhysie, baby, please," Jack choked out, laughing weakly. He placed his hands on his chest. "Let me explain-"

"Oh please," the Guardian groaned. "Let me just _show_ him." A hand wrapped around Rhys' and he felt as though he was tugged right out of his boots, up into the air. He landed on a dance floor, Jack's hands on his hips. The music was loud and all-consuming  They were dancing together - they'd never danced together. He watched events unfold...promises of going back to Jack's place...straddling Jack, like the slutty drunk he was, in a shuttle

 

_“Don’t you want me?” Rhys had said, filled with misery._

_Jack gritted his teeth harder. “Oh baby. Oh baby, I do. But you won’t remember this in the morning and you’ll thank me for it. Wanna keep you and me at the top, cupcake. And we can’t do that with you sleeping in my bed.”_

_Jack began to rummage around in his shuttle’s cabinet._

 

Rhys watched but his eyelids drooped. Suddenly, he was yanked out of himself and was watching the scene unfold from across the shuttle. Jack pulled out a small vial of purple liquid. Rhys' heart stopped once more. 

 

Eridium. 

 

He watched as Jack fed it to his sleeping form. 

“Just a little...just so there’s no unnecessary conversations in the morning. I’ve got enough damn stress to deal with." Jack paused. "Fuck."

 

Another yank and Rhys was in a bedroom. 

 

The bed he was in was huge - ridiculously so, actually - and an enormous window stretched from floor to ceiling opposite him. He shuffled forward, leaning, and squinted. Elpis glowed orange beyond the glass, illuminating the dark room. His hands shot to his hair, dragging it back. How the fuck had he ended up here? 

 

When had this _happened_?!

 

“Mornin’, sunshine.” Rhys’ head shot up and he peered up at Jack who had entered the room carrying a tray. He was only wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants.  The man stopped halfway across the room and cocked his head to the side, smiling. “Wow. What a pretty sight.”

It was then that Rhys realised he was only dressed in his underwear, and his past self huddled behind the sheets to shield himself. Meanwhile, Jack had continued his journey. He sat down beside him and placed the tray - laden with pancakes and orange juice - on the bedside table. 

 

What was happening ? What was _happening_?! Rhys was losing his mind. He could not place this event in his life and the concept was so jarring that he was reeling.

 

“You were attacked by some Maliwan fucks who’d somehow made it onto Helios.”

 

 _The Maliwan attack?!_ Rhys had woken up in the _hospital_ after that. This...this couldn't be real. 

 

Jack's voice brought him back to the situation at hand. 

"They almost killed you.”

“How-”

Jack shook his head, bringing his eyes back to Rhys. “You didn’t end the call. I heard everything. I tracked you down and found you and…” He paused. “It really wasn’t good, kitten. I managed to get you back here.” Jack shrugged. “Didn’t want people seeing you and you becoming the talk of Helios. Thought you might hate that.”

He felt himself smile. 

“Thanks, Jack,” he replied. “But how am I…” He sat up and patted his stomach. Jack’s eyes blew wide as the comforter fell away . “How am I okay?”

Pushing himself to his feet, Jack crossed his arms and walked to the window and Rhys watched him as he went. He stopped at the glass. 

“I have a whole stash of the highest quality insta-healths, babe. Laid you on my couch and stuck one in your heart, didn’t I?” The man’s voice wavered and Rhys followed himself out of the bed. There was a pull in his chest and a tightness in his throat. It was hard to breathe. 

 

The Rhys from the future wanted to scream. 

 

He slowly padded across the room. He approached Jack and reached out his hand, fingertips millimetres from the CEO’s shoulders, but stopped himself and curled his fingers back.

“Jack,” he went to say, but his voice broke out in a whisper. Jack glanced over his shoulder, eyes meeting Rhys’. “Why did you do that?”

Jack's voice warped to something cruel and harsh.

“Because without you, Hyperion’s screwed. Now put on your goddamn clothes and get out of my apartment. My hospitality only lasts so long.” He pushed past but Rhys grabbed at him. “Get off of me, Rhys.”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Fuck you.”

“And fuck you.”  _Yes, fuck YOU._

“I ain’t got nothing to say to you.”

Rhys didn't let go despite Jack trying his best to leave. Rhys forced him around to meet his glare. Suddenly, Jack crowded himself into the man’s space and backed Rhys up against the glass.

 

Rhys, present Rhys, was out of his depth. He could barely, mentally, hold on. He felt like he was going insane. This had happened? And he couldn't _recall???_

 

“What do you want me to say, cupcake? What is it you’re searching for? Hmm? What do you want ?” Jack's eyes searched his face. Rhys’ flesh hand balled into a fist. He opened his mouth to speak before he clamped it shut.

“Go on, say it ,” Jack snarled, glowering.

“You,” Rhys snapped. "I want you." Before Jack could stop him, he’d placed his robotic hand behind his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

 

_What--_

 

_This was...the... the first time we kissed?_

 

_And you let me forget?_

 

Jack placed his hands against Rhys’ chest and pushed but Rhys' hold was strong. His flesh hand snaked around Jack’s hips and tugged them flush against one another.

“Fuck sake,” Jack hissed, pressing Rhys against the glass before kissing him back.  

“I want you, Jack,” Rhys said in a long exhale, eyelashes fluttering. Jack's eyes darted about, wide and afraid. 

“Gimme a minute, okay?”

Rhys smiled a little and nodded as Jack pulled away. He returned, only moments later, when he stalked across the room and took Rhys in his arms. Rhys' eyes closed but flew open but Jack tugged open his mouth and poured something inside.

"Oh Rhysie, I’m so sorry.”

 

" _Sorry?!"_ Rhys screamed, wincing a little at the bright light of the Vault but charging at present-Jack nonetheless. He slammed his curled, cybernetic fist into Jack's jaw, not caring that the metal cracked and a piece fell off because Jack was on the floor and _hurting now_ just like _he_ was. Just like he'd made him hurt. "You were _sorry_ , were you? When you made me forget the shuttle ride?!" He picked Jack up and punched him again, this time in the stomach. Jack took it. He didn't fight back. "Were you really sorry when you _kissed_ me after I told you...after I told you I _wanted_ you?!"

"I didn't have the chance to tell you over the past few days, babe. It's not like...it's not like I knew all of this would happen!" Jack sat up, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve. "Of course I woulda told you eventually. But this prick beat me to the punch." He jabbed his thumb towards the Guardian and huffed at the irony of his own words. 

"You took away my _life_ ," Rhys wept openly, dropping to his knees beside Jack. His eyes were so full of tears that he could barely see. "And my memories of _being_ with you. How _could_ you? I thought I could _trust_ you."

Jack scrambled up, onto his own knees, trying to take Rhys' hands but Rhys snatched them away.

"You can trust me, Rhysie. You can always trust me." 

Rhys couldn't decide if he wanted to sit or stand or kneel but he was on his feet again, pacing to the other side of the cave. Jack climbed to his own feet. 

"I was weak, baby. You know that. You _told_ me that, to my face. In fact, you've told me that a lot. It was just business. I couldn't risk...back _then_ I couldn't risk the company. You know I had to keep my head and not fall for you but I _did_."

Rhys froze. He spun. "You fell for me back at Hyperion?" Jack visibly swallowed. "You...you've been in love with me since...since before…"

"Yeah, baby."

"But…"

"Look, I'm not quick to love anything or anyone beyond myself. And it wasn't like the love I have for you now." Jack cautiously moved towards him, hand outstretched. "But there's never been anyone else, Rhys. Not anyone that's made me feel the way you did. The way you _do_ . I've told you. You're fire; genius; brave; sharp as _nails_. You match me step for step and even then you take ten steps further than I _ever_ could. _And_ you're hot as _hell_ . Shit, I wanted you bad. So bad it _hurt._ But baby, I couldn't have you. Not in my mind, anyway. I always had to put Hyperion first. And so, I made selfish decisions when things happened that were... irreversible. Things that would have changed my life and changed my company. And I'm _so_ sorry."

A while passed where they simply stared at one another, Rhys at Jack at Rhys. The Guardian was somewhere far beyond their moment. Rhys grounded himself, took a breath and made his way to Jack. Jack opened his arms but yelped in pain when Rhys' flesh-hand cracked around his face. Jack didn't have time to think about the pain for long however because Rhys grabbed his face and kissed him until he had no breath in his lungs. 

"Don't think I'll ever forget this," he growled against Jack's lips. "If you ever, _ever_ do that to me again, I will _kill_ you."

"I'll bear that very strongly in mind," Jack replied with a small chuckle as Rhys wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"How could you possibly share intimacies after he did that to you?" the Guardian snapped. Both men looked at it. Rhys slowly raised his gun and Jack followed suit. 

" _Because_ , dum dum, humanity rules." Rhys laughed at his use of Jack's own favourite insult. "We can _forgive_ one another. Or did you underestimate _that_ too?" The Guardian only hissed between its teeth. Jack let his head roll back as he laughed.

"Looks like it did." He looked at Rhys and nodded towards the creature. "This asshole just can't stop underestimating us, can it?" Jack's finger squeezed the trigger slightly then, and he grinned as he looked down the gun at the shocked Guardian. "Now, be a good little _pet_ and give us the location of where we can mine for that sweet, sweet Eridium you so kindly promised us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments put flowers on Rhys' desk which make his day joyful :3 xxxxxxxxx
> 
> Also, you can comment anonymously too! :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello!! Had a bit of a major life change in that I have just (literally, JUST) sat down after unpacking after moving to a new home so the update has been a little slow. 
> 
> My new place is so cute ;_; Check twitter soon to see some pics!! 
> 
> This one is super short for a reason as it will allow me to move forward with the story as I have planned so please bear with me!!! 
> 
> I love you all x

"Tell me how soon the mining equipment can be constructed and functional."

Rhys was pacing, dragging his hands through his hair and worrying his lip between his teeth. They had all taken up residence in the boardroom of Jack's base and the tension in the room was palpable. 

"A month and a half," Meg reported back, passing her tablet to Penny. Her voice was careful and she watched Rhys intently as she spoke. "As long as the shipments of metal resources from Rayvar come on time."

Rhys continued pacing and then suddenly stopped. He rounded the long conference table and perched himself onto it far from everyone else.  

"And it takes three months to grow a body to completion?" He looked to Nakayama for approval, who nodded slowly and affixed his spectacles.

"Yes, Mr. Strongfork. Unfortunately, that is the fastest time we can achieve." 

"Okay." Rhys nodded back. "So we're looking at a time frame of what, five months maximum?"

 

Jack sat back in his chair, mouth sewn shut and eyebrows low. Five months was a real push and he knew Rhys knew it. Nothing ever ran on schedule on Pandora and something _this_ huge? That _Jack_ wanted? The fates would never allow it to go in their favour. Rhys needed to be realistic. Thankfully, Penny took the brunt of the response to such a statement so Jack didn't have to. 

"Five months is exceptionally optimistic, sir." 

Rhys had stood by this point and he wheeled around on his heel to glare at her. 

"Did Jack not just bring together the two most powerful companies in existence? We can do _anything._ You think I need that kind of pessimism right now, Penelope?" he snapped, stalking over to her. "At a time like this?"

Penny matched Rhys' condescending glare with her own,  remaining steadfast, which Jack admired, seeing as anyone with eyes could see that Rhys' hand was on his gun. She took a step forward.

"I only say that, _Rhys_ , because isn't it better not to get the hopes up of those close to you when _they're_ the ones who have to deal with the time passing between now and then and not _you_ ?" She folded her arms and scowled. "Not _you_ , because you'll be _dead._ " 

The expression that crossed Rhys' face was comical. Jack snorted despite the immense sadness that swelled up in him alongside the reminder.  The Atlas man raised a quivering finger and the anguish that had been consuming him visibly drained away; he finally sighed before rubbing his eyes. 

"You're right."

"The planning is essentially done. And can I just say that _we_ -" Penny gestured to the small room of people, "-can do all the rest of the planning without the need for you." 

Rhys' hand dropped slowly from his eyes and the rage that bubbled on his face grew with each passing second. 

"You need to _watch_ your _tongue-_ "

" _So_ ," Penny continued, ignoring the man she called her boss. "Why the hell are you still here and not making the _most_ of the time you have left?"

"Who the _hell_ do you think you're _talking to_ -" Rhys raged on, clearly not hearing anything she was saying. 

 _Jack_ was listening. _Jack_ had heard and known exactly what she'd meant as soon as her round eyes had slid across the room to his. She'd heard the long story of their Pandoran adventure just as Meg and Nakayama had. As Rhys ranted on at her, blind to everything around him, Jack raised himself from his chair. He power-walked around the table, grabbed Rhys by the shoulder and lost all of the air from his lungs when Rhys slammed him up against the nearest wall.

"Holy shit," Jack murmured with a small smile, cock twitching. Their sudden close proximity was making him sweat a little too. 

" _The hell are you-_ " Rhys blinked. He stopped yelling. His cheeks twinged pink ever so slightly. "Jack? What the-"

Jack breathed deep to replace the air Rhys had stolen from him as he placed his hands on Rhys' hips. 

"This meeting is adjourned, baby," he whispered, leaning in so only Rhys could hear. "You're comin' with me." 

Opening his mouth in protest, letting the cogs in his brain catch up with what was happening, was adorable for Jack to watch. He grinned as he saluted the room and pulled Rhys out, dragging him down the hall by the sleeve. 

"Listen, kitten." He yanked them around a corner and almost into a group of Hyperion employees who thankfully yelped and scattered just in time. "You've got two choices. One: you can spend your valuable, precious time shitting yourself and planning for the aftermath of your inevitable demise which is absolutely already under control... " 

An empty hall had Jack beaming. He pushed Rhys up against the wall and revelled in the exhale of air that escaped the man's lungs as his back hit the solid surface. 

"Or _two._ " His lips found Rhys' throat. "You can make the most of it with _me_." Rhys had been rendered speechless, which Jack thoroughly enjoyed, and he used the lack of words to kiss him quick. "If you choose option two, I'm gonna take you up to my room and hand-deliver you to Heaven myself."

Rhys huffed a laugh against his mouth. "You know Hell is where I'm headed after all I've done."

"Then you can get our little place there all ready and neat and tidy for when we decide to head down together one day."

They'd made it to the elevator by now and fell in, kissing furiously. Rhys now had Jack pinned against the wall again, causing Jack's eyes to roll into the back of his head.

"I love you," Rhys murmured, to which Jack responded in kind, and when the doors pinged open Jack fumbled with the key card and managed to get the door open to his apartment. They headed straight for the bed and by the time they got there all clothes besides their underwear were gone. 

The back of Rhys' knees hit the mattress and he fell, Jack climbing over him and not giving him even a fraction of a second to catch his breath. Jack then kissed down his long, pretty neck before he located Rhys' collarbone and ran his tongue along it. Rhys shuddered and gripped Jack's shoulders before pulling the dark-haired man up to his lips. He took him by the face and rubbed his thumbs where the clasps of the mask used to jut out as he licked into his mouth. They remained that way for a long while, grinding against one another and moaning intermittently.  

"Make me a promise before I go, Jack," Rhys breathed eventually before biting down hard on his lip, turning away from Jack's mouth. Jack stopped in his motions as he considered the man beneath him. Rhys' eyes caught the light as he looked back at him and his hand trembled a little as it came up to touch Jack's cheek.  "Promise me something _good._ "

Jack didn't do emotional addresses well.  In fact, they really, really weren't his forte. If he could spin his emotions into sarcasm and quips, he would any day of the week. But gazing down into the eyes of the man underneath him had him all kinds of shaken up inside.

"I promise you the universe, baby," he said softly, stroking a hand down Rhys' cheek and wiping away a stray tear. "We'll own it - all of it - you and I. We have nothing but forever ahead of us to achieve it."

 

He smiled internally. Maybe he _wasn't_ too bad at this emotional crap. 

 

Rhys blinked up at him, his mouth falling open a little. He then closed his eyes and hummed deep in his throat as a grin that lit up every one of his features blossomed on his mouth. 

"I like the sound of forever with you."

Jack's heart swelled to triple the size in his chest. He peered down at the man below and decided - though he knew deep down he'd known for a long time - that forever with Rhys was all he ever needed and wanted from life. 

"I can promise you that. If you'll have me," he half-whispered. Rhys' eyes slowly opened and he stared at Jack. 

"...I…" He pushed himself onto his elbows. "You want that too?"

Jack rolled his eyes. " _Duh_. Isn't it obvious?" 

Rhys swallowed. "I want to hear you say it."

Heart racing, palms sweating, smirk on his lips, Jack prepared himself to ask Rhys a question he never thought he'd ask anyone again since the first time. 

 

He was Handsome Jack. A hero. A champion in his own right and someone completely unworthy of everything Rhys was giving him in that look on his beautiful face. 

 

Jack swallowed hard, mind reeling.

 

Yes...

 

That would...that would be the perfect promise to make Rhys. 

 

Rhys let out a small exhale of air which sounded like Jack's name. 

 

"Rhys-" Jack began with a huge smile, knowing that he couldn't be happier than this very moment. 

 

Rhys' hands gripped onto Jack's upper arms tightly for a moment. So tightly it hurt as his nails dug in.

 

" _Jack-_ "

 

Jack felt his heart swell again with joy, taking Rhys by the face to kiss him first before asking the question.

 

But Rhys' head slipped from his fingers and landed back onto the pillow with a soft _thump._

 

Jack froze still. He could  _feel_ his heart becoming ensnared in tendrils of ice and pain. He could barely breathe. 

 

He allowed his fingers, trembling though they were, to rest on Rhys' eyelids and slide them closed. Another dagger of agony shot through Jack's heart as he placed his lips on Rhys' forehead, staying there for a few seconds before resting his own against it. 

 

"Marry me," he went to say, but it tore out of him as a strangled sob drenched in grief.  Tears spilt down his cheeks, rolling off and landing on Rhys' still chest.

 

Jack knew he wouldn't be getting an answer to his question any time soon but the knowledge that he would? Eventually?

 

That knowledge was the only thing that would keep the dying embers inside of him alight until the day he finally did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :0  
> :0  
> :'0


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello!!! 
> 
> Jeez this story is really taking me for a ride. So many things happened here that I just...didn't plan for. I know where the story ends, but the journey to get there surprises even me sometimes!!!
> 
> I really hope you like this chapter. It's very different to the rest of the story I've told, but I feel that it's important. 
> 
> Let me know what you think xxxxx

"It's a nightmare, Angel," was all Meg needed to sob for the young Siren to end the call, pack a bag and catch the first shuttle available to Helios. 

 

*

 

 _It's been a while_ , she thought as she'd stepped off of the ship and onto the landing bay, gazing up at the colossal heights of the left tower and pulling the backpack further onto her shoulder. 

 

She'd walked the path she was currently taking countless times in her youth. 

 

She still knew the way. 

 

*

 

Jack popped open another can of beer as he pressed the button of the airlock with his elbow and sent - well, he couldn't even remember his name - into the alluring emptiness of space beyond Helios. He'd had the button installed so he didn't have to leave his chair, which was just the way he liked it right now. He could also live vicariously through the ex-imbeciles who passed his window, watching the sweet susurration of the death he so desperately craved welcoming them. 

He swivelled his chair around to face the window, scratching his stomach and taking a sip from his can, his fourth this morning. The idiot who had screwed up some schematics for the mine floated past, already dead. Jack frowned.

 

He'd missed the damn show.

 

Shrugging it off, he leant back and drank, glugging the beer back, when a deafening explosion from behind him hit him with such a vicious force that he was thrown off the chair he hadn't left in days into a drunken heap on the cold floor. Through the gap beneath his desk, he saw a figure standing in the doorway with hands on their hips and huge white wings thrashing. 

"A-Angel?" he croaked, feeling like he was living a fever dream. 

 

The broken door swung on its hinges.

 

"Father," she replied with a snarl. He winced at the venom in her tone. She took a step into the room. "Get the _fuck_ up off your ass."

 

*

 

The doors creaked on their hinges as she stood there, taking in the scene of her father's office through narrowed eyes. He had fallen off his chair from the blast, like something weak and pathetic, but was now pulling himself to his feet after her bark of an order, which she appreciated.  She folded away her wings and stalked towards the desk but had to stop and throw her arm over her face as the stench of body odour hit her nostrils. 

"Oh my _god_ ," she hissed. "You reek."

"My _daughter_ is here," he said in a daze, grinning massively. She rolled her eyes and rounded the desk to shove him into his chair. "My _baby_ ." His hands reached for her cheek but she stepped away and delivered an almighty _wallop_ to his own. "What the _fuck, Angel_ -"

"Pull yourself together!" she snapped, throwing an empty can at his head. He threw a hand up to shield himself, the other rubbing his undoubtedly sore face. "Look at you! _Look_ at you!" The desk and nearby floor were covered in pizza boxes and takeout cartons. He had put on weight, not much but enough to be noticeable, and hadn't shaved in what she'd heard was a month. A scraggled, unkempt beard was growing on his jaw and it didn't suit him in the slightest. Pulling the camera from her pocket, she took a snapshot which caught him completely off guard. 

"Why...what the fuck did you just do?" 

 _There_ he was. The quick-tempered, asshole of a man whom she loved dearly. She smirked and phased out of reach when he lunged for her. From the other side of the office, she floated ten feet above the ground and waved the camera.

"If you don't get it together, this is going viral. _And_ I'll make sure it's the first thing Rhys sees when he wakes up."

Her father gawked at her but then slumped back in his chair and pouted. She deliberated taking another picture because it was honestly pathetically hilarious to look at. 

"I'm doing fine." He swept the empty boxes from the desk. "Nothing to see here."

With that, she sank to the floor, padded over and took his bearded face in her hands. It was still so bizarre to see him so young and maskless. He was barely older than her now. Her thumbs stroked his cheeks, one burning red from her slap, one cold and clammy.

"Papa, you're a mess." 

His eyes glazed over and it made her chest hurt. 

"I just seem to lose everyone I love, baby," he murmured, casting his gaze out of the window. "Couldn't keep your mama safe. Couldn't keep Rhys safe. You're the only one who's survived me."

She chuckled under her breath and perched herself on his desk, her legs between his. 

"Barely," she said with a wink making him scowl. "And that's a lie. You've got other people you love who are still here."

"Like who."

"Like Meg."

He only grunted at this and looked away again, which she knew proved her point. 

"Rhys isn't gone. Not forever. And Mama's death wasn't your fault, despite how much you think it was. Also, like I keep telling you, what happened with Rhys was so sudden and unexpected that you could never have stopped what happened. You've been blessed with the fact that you can have him come back to you. No one else in the universe, as far as we know, has or will ever have that same luxury. Stop moping and start sorting yourself out because, in two months, he could be strolling back into your life if all goes well. And you _don't_ want him seeing this picture." 

He made a weak grab for the camera but didn't fight her as she held it out of reach, instead rolling his eyes before closing them.

"What did I do to deserve you for a daughter?" he sighed, patting his lap. She perched herself on his knee, as she had done all her life, and rested her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair, using a light, invisible phase to shield her from his stench.

 

They didn't speak for a long while. 

 

She didn't remember falling asleep. 

 

Neither did he. 

 

*

 

"What do you mean we haven't received the buy-in money from Yuhnkai? It was due fucking _yesterday._ You're telling me those bastards pulled a fast one on us for what? Nothing but shits and giggles? Nah. Nah nah nah. I want a team of people working around the clock to find out why these assholes strung us along. You got it, you bunch of chucklefucks?" 

 

Meg watched him gesticulate to the board in that way that he did that suggested he was seconds away from wrapping his hands around a throat or shooting a gun. Despite this, it filled her with immense joy to see him back at the top of his game. Angel had really done a number on him a few days before and after that much, _much_ needed intervention, Jack had scraped himself up from the dirt. 

 

Finally. 

 

It had been hell trying to keep Atlas-Hyperion afloat after the announcement of the merger without Jack or Rhys there to support the two PAs. They'd managed - just - but when it reached breaking point and Jack was unresponsive, she'd had to take drastic measures.  Jack had once explained that having Angel travel back to the station would make her a target for his enemies, which was why he'd sent her to the safety of the Siren convent, but she had made it to Helios and back without any trouble. Meg saw that as a win. Angel had stayed for a few days, helping her father with running the company where she could. She'd even helped him issue threats to some employees who were causing concern. Jack was lucky to have a Siren on his side. Meg didn't want to think what would happen if he ever crossed his daughter.

Meg had never let on that she loved Jack. She wasn't _in_ love with him. No, that wouldn't have been right. But she loved him as much as one person could love another human being. They'd been thick as thieves for years and seeing him standing there, acting the boss despite it killing him to, despite it being the last thing he wanted to be doing...it made tears spring up in the corners of her eyes. She loved him more than he would ever know, but when the meeting ended and the two of them were left alone to dwell on it all, she hoped that maybe in the hug she gave him - when she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close - he might catch of glimpse of just how much she really did. 

 

*

 

"Have you cleaned your teeth?"

Angel watched as he slid into bed and rearranged himself to get comfortable. He then proceeded to glare at her which made her giggle. 

"What? I'm just checking you're following my self-care instructions as vigorously as you promised."

He chuckled and closed his eyes. "I've done everything you asked, babydoll. I even lit a candle when I had my bath. Shit, that was the first time I've had a bath since I was in freaking diapers."

She smiled, her chest warm. "But you loved it?"

"Oh yeah," he said, grinning. "It was fantastic."

With a yawn, Angel stretched and snuggled down under her comforter. She lay on her side and watched her father staring at something off-camera.

"What is it?" she asked softly. He didn't avert his gaze.

"Just thinking." He hummed a little in his throat. "I'm stuck in limbo, kid. Between heaven and hell. Atlas-Hyperion is coming at me blow after blow but we're making money hand over fist. Rhys is gone and I'm fucking hollow inside but I know he's gonna come back. So I'm living this…" He blinked before staring at the ceiling. "....this weird rollercoaster of emotion that I'm not used to."

"The infamous Handsome Jack has feelings, who'da thunk it?" she quipped, trying to alleviate the conversation. He looked at her. "You're human, papa. You're allowed to feel. You're allowed to lose."

There was a long pause that passed between them. Long enough for Angel to consider falling asleep.

"I've been thinking about that," he said eventually. "About losing, that is. About how I'll have Rhys back and then have a way to live forever." He shifted in his seat. "But I hadn't considered you. I hadn't thought about how all this would make _you_ feel. I'm your father. I should have asked if you wanted it too. I don't ever want to lose you."

Angel sighed, her throat closing up. She'd been waiting for this. She'd been dreading this.

"I don't need to live forever, Dad." She shrugged. "I don't want to."

"But Angel-"

"Sirens live longer than regular humans anyway. But that's it. I didn't get the choice to be normal. This Siren thing was nature's way of dealing me a curve ball. At least with death…" She took a deep breath, fighting off the tears that threatened her and failing because the look on her father's face was pure agony. "...At least with death I know it's the one human certainty I get to embrace and finally feel human about. For once in my life, I'll get the normalcy I've always dreamed of and _no one_ can take it from me." She stroked the edges of her screen as she watched tears drip down his cheeks. "Not even _you_ , Papa."

 

*

 

Penny frowned massively.

Jack was tearing through R&D like a damn hurricane and had almost killed the head of department which had given her a heart attack. He was the best of the best, the best Atlas could have ever dreamed of, and Jack had almost…and just because of...

She took a deep breath.

 

He  _didn't_ kill him. 

 

She had to let that power her onwards.

 

When she got home to her apartment that night, she called Meg but didn't get an answer. She'd found it strange, seeing as she and Meg spoke every night now, but almost had another heart attack when she'd unlocked her door to find Meg on her couch curled up with a glass of wine. Both women shrieked a little at the sudden discovery of the other, and Meg turned a deep shade of red as she glanced wide-eyed between Penny and the wine in her hand. 

"I brought this! The wine! I didn't help myself!"

She was on her feet now and Penny noticed she was dressed in pyjama shorts and a cute little crop top. He hair was down, very unusual for her, and she looked like she'd really made herself at home. Penny slowly lowered her keys onto the side table and closed the door.

"Can I ask why you're here? In your...uh…" Penny squinted. "Are those skag pups on your jammies?"

Meg chewed her lip. "I _had_ to get off of Helios. Jack's finally sorted himself out and he gave me a few days off to recuperate. I…" She looked at her feet. "I couldn't face my own apartment...couldn't face...being alone." She looked up through her lashes. "And yeah, they're skags."

Penny sighed and smiled. Meg smiled back. 

"So you broke into my home?"

Meg blushed again and took a step back. "No! No...well…I may have used the security overrides to unlock your door but...I thought maybe...you might not mind…? Seeing as...y'know…" Her cheeks darkened further. "We've been really getting on. Like...I...I..." Meg's eyes met hers and she took a few steps forward. "Oh god, Penn, I just wanted to _see_ you."

That was all Penny needed to hear. She dropped her bag and, still dressed in her long, tan coat, stalked across the room and took Meg's face in her hands. 

"Not as much as I wanted to see _you_." With that, she kissed her, pulling her close. Meg was frozen for a moment under her hold but quickly softened and kissed her back, grinning against her lips. Penny ran her hands through Meg's long, brown hair before placing her hands on her hips.

"I love your hair like this," she murmured. Meg sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, dragging out a small moan. They backed up towards the bedroom, Meg guiding the way. "How do _you_ know where to go?"

Meg broke the kiss to grin wider. "You think I broke into your place and didn't do a scout about to find out which room I'd be sleeping in?" 

Penny tutted but didn't say anything more. She kissed Meg instead, because now that she _could_ , she'd be doing it as much as possible. 

Plus, there was no argument. Meg would have _always_ ended up in her bed, whether she'd broken in or not. 

 

*

 

"Sir!" 

The doors to his office slammed open, making Jack glance up from his computer. A man with large glasses and a mop of red hair came tumbling in with his arms full of papers. 

"You wanna tell me why my assistant is running after you with a gun aimed at your brain?" Jack stood, reaching for his own gun. "I'm guessing you don't have one in that ginger scalp if you're still moving towards me."

"Sir, please, it couldn't wait-"

"I told him he had to schedule an appointment," Meg hissed, cocking her weapon. It was sexy as hell, to be frank. She had a short red dress on, her hair down (completely unlike her) and a gun in her hand. Jack smirked and returned his gaze to the man who had finally come to a halt at the bottom of the steps. He was trembling and he dropped a couple of his documents. 

"You have five seconds to explain what the hell you're doing here before I poke a hole in your head to see if you really don't have a brain." 

The man took a deep breath.

"I know who tried to kill you in the shuttle explosion." Jack's heart stopped. He lowered his gun and his eyebrows. They'd given up trying to find out who the culprit was months ago when every test had failed. The man swallowed.

"Explain. Now." Jack snapped, stalking down the steps and dragging the man by his shirt sleeve to the table at the side of the room. Hurriedly, the man scattered his papers and hunted until he found one with what looked like data readings.

"I...I refused to give up on the search. I've been...studying the wreckage and bomb fragments in my spare time where I could. I...I saw it like a puzzle that I had to solve and, sir, I convinced myself I just _had_ to solve it-"

"Get on with it," Meg interjected, taking the words out of Jack's mouth. The sweating man pushed his glasses back up his long nose. 

"Yes! Yes. You see, we had done every test under the sun but that's what got me _thinking_ . The _sun_. The Pandoran sun is well-known for being nearly unbearable during the middle of the day and the heat has been well-documented to have caused chemical changes in some select materials on the planet's surface. I took that into consideration when studying the fragments of the bomb and with something as powerful as what was used, no one in their right mind would keep it inside for fear of malfunction. This left the option there: it may have potentially been changed by the Pandoran sun and heat if that was the case. I was right. I discovered it had been chemically altered by the sun's UV rays by running a simple test."

Jack shifted uneasily. "What the fuck are you getting at?" 

"Well I ran tests on every metal we had a sample of from Pandora and...I found a match in the same metal and UV chemical alterations." He paused. "And I only found the one."

 

A beat of silence echoed around the room like a clap of thunder. 

 

"Who did it," Jack said, mouth too dry to even make it a question. His eyes met Meg's as the man replied, each word he spoke dropping like a stone.

  
  
  


"It was Atlas."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make my whole world go round x


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HELLO
> 
> YES
> 
> THIS CHAPTER IS ONE OF MY FAVES PLS ENJOY

On Jack's orders, they ran the test eight times that day. 

 

It wasn't possible, it  _ couldn't  _ be possible, was all he muttered when each test showed the same result: 

 

_ Atlas _ .

 

The metals that Atlas used for its guns was harvested, in many cases, from metal ores found across Pandora. However, it turned out that Atlas had stumbled upon a way of altering the substance: leaving the sheets of metal in the sun led to a contortion of the properties, making it - surprisingly - more light-weight and malleable, amongst other useful things. It was incredibly unique and had been one of Atlas' best kept secrets until Handsome Jack - their greatest former competition - was informed of it in his office by Rex Budely, former Hyperion employee and now that of Atlas-Hyperion. The precious Atlas metal was kept under lock and key, only accessible to those in Atlas who were military-grade or higher. 

"Someone could have melted down their guns to collect the metal?" Meg offered hopefully when Jack stalked over to the window in a fit of despair. Rex shook his head. 

"That would once again have affected the material and would no longer have allowed it to bear the same properties. No, this was ripped from Atlas' hands directly."

"Good answer," Jack snarled, not turning around. He placed his hands behind his back and the two at the table watched him cautiously. This news, coupled with Jack's fragile mental state, could mean death for anyone who put a toe out of whatever line Jack drew next. He continued, "Someone  _ took _ this from Atlas. Rhys would never…" He turned around and raised a quaking finger, his face twisted in raw, gut-wrenching emotion. "If anyone even  _ breathes  _ a thought that Rhys could have anything to do with this, I'll gut 'em. That clear?"

The two nodded furiously - neither would dare. Meg, because she  _ knew.  _ Rex, because it was blindingly obvious to everyone in the new-fangled company that something serious was going on and that despite clear attempts to cover it up, people guessed something was happening between Rhys and Jack. They didn't quite know what, but Rex suggesting openly that Rhys could have planned the entire explosion was the same as offering himself up to the slaughter. 

 

He wasn't  _ stupid _ . 

 

"Get _out_ ," was all he needed to hear from Handsome Jack to pack up his things and scarper. Jacks sank down to his knees when the doors closed but Meg was there to sit beside him, watching him closely.

"It wasn't Rhys," she murmured softly, taking his hand in her own. He stared at the stars beyond the glass for a while before turning to look at her. His expression broke her heart. "It wasn't."

"I know," he said quietly; vulnerably. He could only ever be like this with her and he loved her for it. "But I'm  _ lost  _ here. The footage that survived from the shuttle showed no one accessed that panel. Not before I left for the meeting, not during the time in the bunker, not after. And even  _ I  _ didn't know about Atlas' metal so I can't see how it's anyone from Hyperion." He gritted his teeth. "I always wanted to know how they made their guns so damn perfect. Didn't really want to find out this way." 

A sad chuckle escaped him before Jack was climbing to his feet and helping Meg to hers. 

"What explanation is there other than an inside job?" he muttered, almost to himself.

"You're saying someone in Atlas wanted you dead? Someone who wasn't Rhys?"

He nodded gravely. "They didn't know Rhys was getting on that shuttle. They were after  _ me. _ " 

"But why? What reason would someone lower down the food chain want to wipe you out behind Rhys' back?" 

Jack took a deep breath. " _ That's _ what I need to find out." He turned towards the desk and splayed his hands upon it, eyes wild with fire and rage. "We've got a goddamn rat to catch."

 

*

 

_ "He knows, sir." _

 

The man in the carefully-pressed, pinstriped suit smirked down at the ECHO device laying on his desk before slowly lifting his eyes to the window of his office. 

"And he's out of his depth, spinning too many plates," the man purred, watching a rakk divebomb and snatch a skag pup in its jaws. "Let him try and give it all he's got if he finds out." He let out a laugh before straightening himself. "But what will you do if you get discovered, my dear?" He pouted, a glint in his eye. "I can't be there to protect you."

"You know me, I can defend myself," she chuckled, but that pang of regret in her tone had him rolling his eyes and frowning. He liked her. He truly did. She'd done an incredible job over the years, achieving what she had for him. But now she'd gotten in too deep, just like he'd warned when they had drawn up the initial plans.

He held in the sigh that would have given away his complete and utter disappointment. He required her to be at her absolute best so that she wouldn't be caught should Handsome Jack rack his brains trying to work out who it could possibly be that tried to destroy him. The man in the suit grimaced. If she knew that  _ he'd _ kill her when he saw her pretty, regrettable, traitorous face again, she would undoubtedly blow  _ his _ cover too, meaning he wouldn't be able to stay hidden and operate in the shadows of what Atlas-Hyperion was becoming.

He'd sent this agent, his  _ best _ agent, in years ago to get closer to Rhys. The more of Rhys he learned, the more he could control Atlas from the inside whenever he pleased. She'd been fantastic at gathering detailed intel to the point where he could strike from within but  _ then  _ she'd found the metal.  __ A brilliant idea struck him at two am one beautiful, memorable night that he could use his pretty little plant inside of Atlas to attack  _ Hyperion -  _ a wretched, failing company whom he despised for more reasons than he could count - and stay completely out of the firing line by setting it up so that "Atlas" weapons were the ones that did it. 

 

So that  _ Atlas _ did it. 

 

Atlas metal from the Atlas company; the only metal of its kind.

 

With Rhys under pressure, intense scrutiny and Hyperion firepower for killing the infamous Handsome Jack,  _ he  _ would have the distraction he needed to destroy  _ two  _ companies instead of just the one.  _ Simultaneously.  _

 

The plan had been watertight and  _ delicious.  _

 

And it had meant that  _ he _ would  **_win_ ** .

 

But then Rhys, the  _ imbecile,  _ had decided to climb aboard that bastard Hyperion shuttle for whatever bloody reason and gotten himself killed along with Jack, or so had been thought. He'd had to hurry to get Infernous on side to track them down after his tracking drones had spotted them alive in the desert. And then they'd survived  _ that _ too. And he'd  _ seen _ it then. Something that put pieces together that had previously been worlds apart. 

There, from his seat behind his desk, he'd watched the drone's camera show them…  _ passionate _ and…  _ intimate _ on the floor of the arena after they'd somehow procured a Loader Bot to decimate the bandit horde he'd worked so hard to procure himself. 

  
  


And then…

 

Oh and  _ then _ they'd only gone and announced that they were  _ merging _ the fucking  _ companies _ .

 

But now Rhys was  _ gone _ . 

Gone for  _ good _ . 

 

He hoped Jack was in agony _.  _

 

She'd told him the stupid Atlas man had contracted a deeply infectious Pandoran disease called 'Mother's Bane' just after the merger announcement and had suffered terribly until it had destroyed him from the inside out. It was all hush hush. Apparently his ashes were in a black and orange urn on Jack's desk. 

He smirked.

 

Jack was alone and  _ weak.  _ Now was the time to  _ strike.  _

 

But he would remain patient and let Jack work out for himself just who it was that orchestrated his near-death and who had him by the  _ balls _ because he was royally  _ fucked  _ on his own. Without Rhys, Atlas-Hyperion was simply Hyperion with a shoddy, unflattering makeover; it was the same vile, poisonous and uncouth company underneath. 

 

If Jack turned his sights on him, with no outwardly justifiable cause because he had no  _ proof _ , he'd take him to war. 

  
  
  


And he was ready for him.

  
  


_ Oh _ yes.

 

  
  


 Katagawa was  _ ready _ .

  
  


*

 

The employees of Atlas-Hyperion worked out very, very rapidly that something had severely ruffled the feathers of at least one of their CEOs. Jack had gone on a rampage through each department, conducting "interviews". They were, politely put, _brutal._ Some people came back shaken to the core.

 

….Some people never came back at all.

 

Rhys, on the other hand, was silent as per usual. It was exceptionally unnerving. 

Despite the occasional email signed from the co-CEO, he was rarely seen. Rumours escalated always: he had been spotted in R&D a month ago shrouded by mist; someone had seen him standing beside the eye of Helios, inspecting; reports came in that he had taken up residence on one of the Edens, controlling Atlas-Hyperion remotely. 

Whatever the truth, Rhys was elusive as a president. The original Atlas employees stated that this was extremely abnormal - Rhys had been an exceptionally hands-on boss whilst dragging Atlas up from the depths of despair. It was odd for them not to see him daily somewhere or another. 

 

So real rumours spread. 

 

Was he sick? Was he injured? Was he involved in an accident to a point that his appearance caused him shame? No one knew, but the guessing was fun. Especially since Atlas-Hyperion was progressing well. Assuming the mortal state of a god-like power such as Rhys was always an interesting way to pass the time or fill gaps in conversation at the water cooler. 

Whatever the case, it didn't seem like anyone was keeping tabs on Handsome Jack. He was ruthless, occasionally unfair and sometimes downright maniacal. Whatever had happened recently was causing him to assume all three traits with some gusto. People cowered as he stalked through Helios and Atlas HQ down on Pandora, seemingly hunting for something...or someone. Whatever it was, he hadn't found it, because the rampage continued day after day. 

It was truly tiring, fearing death was around every corner. Each employee was exhausted from wondering if Jack would come down on them next. 

 

But one day it stopped.

 

One day the rampage stopped. 

 

And no one could work out why.

 

*

 

" _You_ ," Jack growled, backing her into a corner. She glanced around the room, noting exits and objects she could use to defend herself should the gun in her garter prove a rival. She didn't _want_ to use her powers on him but subdue him? Absolutely. He was wild. A man with a vengeance cutting so deep that it sliced her very skin to be looked upon with eyes so filled with despair. She'd done her best. Protected Rhys from Katagawa despite the bomb. Protected _them -_ Jack and Rhys \- from his clutches as best she could. 

When she'd tried to kill Jack on Katagawa's orders, it was a job. She didn't have any emotions towards the man other than blind, Maliwan hatred. But working by his side since Rhys…

 

_Well_. 

 

Yes, she'd been sent by Katagawa. 

 

_ Yes _ , she was Maliwan by blood and by sweat and by tears.

 

_ Yes.  _ She was bound to that company through contracts and such but…

 

They, the Atlas-Hyperion CEOs, were both better than Maliwan. In ethics and kindness and love.

 

Love was something unknown to Maliwan.

 

Jack stepped closer. 

 

Even her Siren powers wouldn't save her now. Because the man who was coming down on her like a tonne of bricks was the man Rhys loved with all his heart. The man Rhys was going to wake up to. 

 

She couldn't take that from her friend.

 

Not when he'd treated her with the grace and friendship that Katagawa never had. 

 

So when Jack raised his gun, she didn't cower. But she nodded and stood her ground, swallowing her pride.

"Maliwan sent me," she said, keeping her eyes on his as she did so. "And now Katagawa wants a war, Jack." She swallowed, eyes glazing. "Don't give him the satisfaction. He's been ready for a while." 

Jack's lip quirked in a scowl. "Don't tell me what to do, you fucking traitor."

The door to Rhys' office flew open. The girl who'd wormed her way in, the girl who wasn't supposed to love her, sprinted in despite her heels, going for Jack who swept the gun out of her reach.

"Don't!" the sweet girl begged when she missed. 

"Back down," Jack sneered, stepping around her. "She's  _ mine _ ."

Beautiful brown eyes slid to her, filled with pain and sorrow. She took a step, but Jack grabbed the sweet girl by the back of the shirt and tugged her back. 

"This bitch  _ confessed _ . She's worth  _ nothing _ ."

The powers stirred at his words. Nothing? She was more than nothing. She'd done so much: lied for him, told him Katagawa's plans…and surely without her Rhys and Jack wouldn't have let their foolish pride fall away to be together? Her own love sobbed as Jack produced another pistol, one aimed at each of them.

"Don't move."

But she did. Oh, bless her, she did. Jack didn't -  _ couldn't _ \- shoot as she crossed the room and took her in her arms, burying her face into her shoulder. 

"Tell me you didn't cause all this," she wept, squeezing her. "I know it's not true."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"It  _ was _ me. I'm not going to lie to you, love. Katagawa is on a war path. He instructed me to kill Jack. Gave me the way to do it. I've been working for him since joining Atlas and I'm ashamed, I am. But you…"  She locked eyes with Jack. "You changed me. Maliwan is crazy for power and the stories they tell about Hyperion… Look, I didn't know that other companies - other  _ people _ \- could be so...forthcoming with kindness. It...it really did change me." Her powers came to just under the surface. "Let me fight for you-"

"Oh, cry me a fucking river," Jack groaned as her girl stumbled away, horrified. The gun he held was pointed between her eyes once more. "Any last words?" 

She supposed she could try and beg for her life. Explain more and try to justify herself. Say that Katagawa didn't know anything beyond the merger announcement because Maliwan? That life was behind her. Maybe Jack would…

 

A small laugh escaped her.

 

No. _No_ , Penny.

 

Jack would  _ never _ forgive  _ this _ .

 

*

 

Meg screamed as Penny erupted in a brilliant green light. The force of whatever energy had blown out of the girl she loved had her on her ass, blinking at the place Penny had just been standing. 

 

Now she was gone.

 

Jack groaned beside her, picking himself up slowly. 

"Fucking Sirens," he snapped, slamming his fist on the table he was using as leverage. "Always where you least fucking expect them." 

Meg watched through weepy eyes as he pressed the announcement button on his desk. 

"Hello, Atlas-Hyperion. We've got a dirty little disease in our midst by the name of Penelope Winter. I want her found and I want her brought to me dead or alive, I don't give a shit. She's a Siren. Use extreme caution. I want military teams positioned at every exit and I want it done  _ yesterday." _

As he removed his finger from the button, their eyes met. She tried so hard to keep it together but she just broke and tears streamed down her face as she sank to the floor. Jack's eyes were like ice. 

"Did you know?"

The question pierced her heart like a knife. She couldn't believe her ears and her tears stopped as sadness was replaced by rage. 

"You're going to even dare to  _ suggest _ that?" she lashed out, flooded with grief and anguish. Her shaking hand found the gun strapped to her thigh and she raised it, pointing a gun at Handsome Jack at point blank range. He had been quick; he had his trained on her too. 

"How dare you?" Meg sobbed, tilting her head to the side as emotion overwhelmed her. She was still kneeling on the floor and her body screeched at her to just crumple into a heap. She'd lost so much in the space of a few moments. Penny, a lover, her pride and now respect for her best friend. The anger took control and her voice steadied. "How  _ dare _ you?"

"Rhys trusted her with his life. With every dark secret he had." Jack cocked his weapon as Meg cocked hers. "You…you spent time with her. You must have...must have  _ known _ she had Siren tattoos. That should have sounded fucking alarm bells,  _ Meg _ ."

" _ God _ , Jack! I have sex in the dark because I have body image issues, you shit-eating  _ pig _ ." Meg was on her feet now, stalking closer to him. He took a step back and the tension in his eyes weakened noticeably. A fire was roaring inside of her. "And that was  _ my  _ choice, not hers." She took a deep breath. "Jack, do you seriously think that I could betray you like that? I  _ love  _ you, you idiot!" 

Jack's gun arm wavered. They were barely four feet apart now. One shot from either and it would be over. The difference was that Jack could come back. 

 

Meg never would. 

 

They didn't register whose weapon fell to their side first before they threw themselves into a tight embrace. 

"I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair, pulling her impossibly closer. She didn't reply, thoughts of Penny reeling in her mind. She was finally, wholly consumed by the treachery and betrayal of what had just taken place. 

 

Jack held her as she wept for her loss. 

 

*

 

It took everything in Jack not to immediately take every ounce of firepower Atlas-Hyperion had and rain it down on Maliwan. For once, he restrained himself (as Rhys would have done) and located Nakayama.

"It's four days on those bodies, right?" 

The scientist beamed at him as they made their way through the laboratory. "Three days, give or take a few hours, actually." 

"Good," Jack replied, his heart pounding.  _ Only three days left to wait for you.  _ "I want them gone first thing Thursday morning. Everywhere. Promethea, the Edens, Helios, Rayvar. Further. I want them hidden in every Hyperion outpost. Every Atlas outpost. I want outposts fucking  _ built _ under different names just to contain them. Capiche?"

Meg dotted along beside him, scribbling notes and nodding. 

"We have procured the equipment required to transport and house them for however long required," she stated, looking from Nakayama to Jack. 

"Is indefinitely still on the cards?" He stopped and folded his arms across his chest. "Because some of these should be waiting for us for a hell of a long time."

Meg swallowed. The notion that Jack was going to live for potentially centuries was still almost unfathomable. 

"Yes, of course."

They continued walking and reached the double doors that led to the most secret and cherished place Jack owned. He hadn't seen inside yet; hadn't wanted to. It would have been too difficult to… _ see _ him. Many of him. Lying there with no breath in his lungs. 

 

Jack had seen it one too many times already. 

 

But with Maliwan itching for war and Jack ready to unleash hell, the precious cargo in this bunker was too important to not evacuate from Pandora immediately. Only two would remain here. One for him. One for Rhys.

The plan was that if one of them died they would pop up somewhere else, somewhere close or somewhere distant, but  _ they would be alive _ . 

 

And they'd find each other. Always. 

 

And then they'd keep doing that. Keep coming back and back to one another no matter how grisly or gruesome an end their previous body came to. The doors opened, and Jack cursed under his breath. Meg gasped beside him.

The room was vaster than he'd imagined and every inch of it was filled with pods containing bodies. There must have been at least forty of both of them in there. His head whirred with the maths of it all. If each body lasted them, at a push because death would always hunt them, thirty years…

"Shit, you could live for over...over a thousand years... _ each,"  _ Meg managed, catching her breath at almost every word. "Jack this is...the consequences of this science is... _ beyond _ groundbreaking. What you could sell this knowledge for is...it's…"

"Priceless," he grunted, his hand quirking near his gun as he slid his eyes to Nakayama who was too busy gazing down lovingly at his work to notice. As soon as everything was done, as soon as the bodies were distributed and Rhys was back, the old scientist was too much of a risk to keep alive. Any man in his right mind would sell this knowledge in a heartbeat to be set for life. 

 

Jack wouldn't have anyone else following in his footsteps. 

 

He kept his eyes away from the bodies, not wanting to see any more. It was too much and his heart ached. Meg, however, was peering intently over the railings, studying what lay below.

"Incredible," she said over and over, shaking her head. 

Jack's ECHO buzzed. A message from Helios.

"Oh, what the fuck," he hissed, reading though it. "Katagawa's getting impatient. Maliwan's troops have been spotted heading through the canyon by Three Horns. General thinks they're trying to corner us here at Atlas HQ." Jack shook his head. "Fuck. That's, what, a three day hike from here, more or less? Shit, we need double the aerial teams around the ships evacuating the bodies and-" 

A hand on his arm brought him back to himself. Meg frowned up at him. 

"Go back to Helios and organise that with the General. I'll stay here and oversee the evacuation of the bodies and the employees who aren't fit to fight."

"Meg, if they come-"

She smiled. "I'm tougher than I look Jack."

He considered her for a moment, taking in her crinkled eyes, and then pulling her in for a tight hug. Recollections of her ready to kill him over Penny were still freshly burned into his brain.

"Don't I know it," he replied. 

 

*

 

The ride back up to Helios was long and exhausting. Jack spent the trip with his mind buzzing. He wanted to be thinking about Rhys, what with how little time left there was to wait, but Maliwan being so far up his ass was taking precedent. As the ship made its way to the space station, he spoke with the General, with outposts between Three Horns and Atlas, with Nakayama again, he touched base with Meg...

When he finally set foot on the landing bay of Helios, his head was sore and his patience was paper-thin. People dodged out of his way as he prowled through the halls and an entire elevator of executives scarpered to allow him a well-deserved ride of peace. 

As he stood leaning against the wall of the elevator, he finally closed his eyes and imagined-

_ Bzzzzzzzzz. _

His eyes flew open, wild. He considered  throwing his ECHO onto the floor and smashing it under his boot. He  _ really  _ considered it. But with a snarl he ripped it from his belt and glared at the screen. It was an unknown caller, but he certainly recognised the number. 

 

_ Someone was calling him from  _ inside _ of his own office. _

 

A spark of concern rattled through him. No one but Meg could get in there without his express permission or physical presence to unlock all of the security measures. Had Maliwan taken Helios in his absence? As the elevator doors slid open to reveal the entrance hall to said office, he ensured he looked into every corner and cranny before stepping out. There was no one around, not even his designated security team. It was silent aside from the buzzing of his ECHO which he swiftly snatched up.

"You wanna explain yourself before I open those doors and blow your fucking brains out?" Nothing. The device was quiet. His gun was in his hand and he brought the device away to set the turrets in his office to active. "You've got about thirty seconds before you're a stain on my carpet that my robot vacuum really won't struggle to get out."

More radio silence. Jack's shoulders were heaving now with the feral fury that had consumed him. He would  _ decimate  _ Katagawa when he got his hands on him. Things in that office were irreplaceable and data on his computer could put Atlas-Hyperion in deep shit should it be leaked or utilised. Jack hurried through the motions of unlocking his office doors and when they swung open, the room appeared empty.

 

Jack knew better. 

 

He stepped inside, smirking at the turrets that were hidden and poised to kill on his command. From his belt, he heard the ECHO call end on the caller's side and he held his gun up by his jaw, ready. 

"I'm really not the kind of guy you should piss off, cupcake," he sang out into the cavernous room, voice echoing off the walls. "You wanna break the silent act? I know you're in here."

"Sorry, my love, I'm just stunned to fucking silence by the fact that you started a goddamn war in my absence."

The chair at his desk span around from facing the window and Jack crumpled where he stood.

 

 

 

  
  
  
" _ Rhys _ ."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID U LIKE
> 
> YOULL LIKE THE NEXT CHAPTER EVEN MORE HO HO HAH 
> 
> pls like and comment if you diiiiiid Xxxxxx


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woaaaah dudes!! All your comments!! I'm blessed!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so so so much. Honestly it's....really boosted me massively.
> 
> I love you all and the support you give me xx

_"But Mr. Strongfork, I simply don't understand."_

_"Goddamnit, I shouldn't have to explain-" Rhys sucked in a breath, swallowing his words. "I just need a day or so, okay? I can't just...suddenly...." He swore quietly and then sat down opposite the scientist after a long period of pacing. "Jack will think I'm fragile or some stupid bullshit like that so I'd much rather him see me when I'm…when I'm fully_ ready _for him to. And also...for my own peace of mind, I want to be an outsider for a little while and judge whatever situation the company faces without Jack being...all over me about it."_

_A beat of silence. "And how do you propose I stop Jack from finding out about all of this?" Nakayama was wearing an irritatingly disapproving expression and Rhys didn't very much like it one bit. He didn't need anyone judging him. He had his own priorities._

_" Lie , dammit?! Tell him that the bodies, I don't know, will be ready a few days_ after _they really are or something. Give me a fucking chance here."_

_Rhys let his hands fall into his lap and his brow furrow. He really didn't want to die or have anyone questioning the only choices he actually got to make about the matter of his death. He heard a sigh and glared up at the man who had made it._

_"Write down exactly what you want from me." Nakayama stood and sniffed. "I'll see it done,_ despite _the fact that I despise having to-" He grimaced further. " -_ lie _to Jack ."_

_A wave of relief washed over Rhys and he jumped to his feet, clapping the man on the shoulder as he did so. Nakayama flinched._

_" Perfect ," Rhys replied, perhaps a little too viciously. But he continued with a forced grin. "I just_ knew _I could count on you ."_

_Nakayama only responded with a roll of his eyes and a tut escaping his pursed lips before they both headed towards the meeting room._

_Everyone there was under the guise that Rhys had been quizzing Nakayama on the process he'd be undertaking._

_Rhys, of course, had_ other _plans_. 

 

*

 

The first gasp of breath Rhys took was something almost alien in nature. It filled him up like a balloon and he was sure he would burst as his eyes flew open wide, the air around him stinging them slightly. He was sitting upright, he could tell that much, and he was _cold._ The lights - wherever he was - were too bright and it took him a few moments to adjust. He knew why, of course, but his brain took a while to catch up with his eyes. The room was enormous and there were pods all around him. He let out a strangled gargle of awe as he noted that every single pod contained a body of either himself or Jack. 

 

The damn man had _done_ it. 

 

A wide smile cracked his dry lips.

 

"Well?" came a familiar voice. Rhys turned, mentally cursing his aching, unused joints, to spy Nakayama standing at the top of the stairs across the room. His hands were curled around the dark metal of the railings and his eyes were narrow slits. "How do you feel?"

Rhys cursed again before he attempted his first speech as his new self.

"Like I've got a really, really shitty hangover."

The voice was hoarse and new, but it was his.

"It's to be expected," Nakayama sighed, descending the stairs as Rhys tried to climb from the pod. "You've been suspended in stasis for eight months whilst your body came to term."

Rhys slipped and smacked his cheek on the side of the pod. Pain shot across his jaw.

" _Eight_ months?!" he gasped. He stared at Nakayama as he approached. Eight? He'd been missing for _eight_ months? He couldn't believe it. That was two months behind schedule. 

 

Eight months was a long time.

 

What would have become of his company? 

 

And Jack…would he have moved on? 

 

Fear and panic racked through him, which must have shown on his face, because as Nakayama stopped beside him and brandished what looked like a pile of clothing, he rolled his eyes. 

"Oh, _please,_ stop being overdramatic. The company is fine." He tossed the clothes on the steps next to the pod. "Jack still drones on and on about you whenever I see him which is, to say the least _, irritating_ , and you certainly haven't been forgotten by your employees. They've been left to assume what they will of your absence but I believe things have been put into place to make it seem like you're working on the company from a distance."

The man's words whirred around in Rhys' head as his brain tried to compute each and every one of them. 

"So... Atlas-Hyperion is doing well? Despite the sudden merger and disappearance of a CEO?"

Nakayama hummed in his throat before pressing a button on the pod. The side opened suddenly and Rhys tumbled out onto the icy stone floor. Pain seared through his elbow and hip and he swore up at the sneering scientist. 

"Oh yes, the sales are through the roof. We are number one. Everything in _that_ sense is going, uh, _swimmingly_."

"In _that_ sense?" Rhys pulled on the underwear and then the hoodie he'd been provided. "What's that supposed to mean?"

By this point, Nakayama was back at the stairs again. 

"All I feel that's appropriate for _me_ to say to you is that the shuttle you requested in your letter is waiting outside. Your security clearance is in the pocket of those jeans. Your arms and eyes are _both_ human, in case you hadn't noticed, and our company is about to go to war with Maliwan. Good luck navigating all that!"

 

With that, the door slammed behind him.

 

It was as though someone had drilled into Rhys' skull and played about with his brain using chopsticks, turning his vision fuzzy and his thoughts to dust. War? Human...hands?

 

Rhys almost fainted as he glanced down.

 

They _were_ his _hands._ He hadn't even...he hadn't even _thought_ about how it made sense that he would have-

 

"Oh my _god_ ," he muttered, flexing his digits on both hands. They were stiff but _there were ten of them_ . He hadn't done that since he was _thirteen_ . He supposed he hadn't even realised at first because the robotic arm had been so natural to use given the advances in cybernetics that Atlas had made. A tear dripped down his cheek as his mind echoed back in time. He had lost his arm in a landslide on Rayvar when he had been hunting through the scrap pile next to his house. A huge sheet of sharp metal had sliced almost clean through the bone of his upper arm when it had slipped from high above him. He had almost died that day, but the small robot companion he'd constructed zoomed off to inform his parents and thus he had been saved. Well, _almost_ all of him. The rescue team had apparently had to severe his arm completely before taking him to the hospital. He hadn't been awake for that part.

Having a state-of-the-art metal arm attachment offered in clinical trials run by Hyperion a few years later had been perfect and had been what had prompted him to go into the Hyperion ECHOeye trials at the age of sixteen. _That_ was what had prompted him to look to Hyperion as a career opportunity. It was the galactic leader in cyborgs and cybernetic technology and every second of not being in on their processes and their developments killed Rhys right up until he finally walked through those giant doors of the Helios landing bay as a new member of the Robotics team.

A laugh of pure amazement and wonder broke out of him as he inspected himself closely. Yes...there was the very distinctive birthmark he'd always had right between the crook of his elbow. He grinned stupidly. 

"This is _wild_."

But he didn't really have time to weep over himself. Swiftly, he pulled on the jeans left for him and found his all-access ID in the back pocket, twirling it between the fingers of his right hand because he _could._ This would get him everywhere he needed to go, but he would have to keep his head down. The main thing would be to avoid Jack for at least a day or two, just to...just to….

 

_Wait, hadn't Nakayama said that Atlas-Hyperion was at war? With Maliwan?_

 

The amount of emotions rocking through Rhys were doing a real number on his mental state. He found himself gripping at his pod to remain steady on his feet. 

 

What the hell had Jack gotten himself into while he'd been away? 

 

*

 

"And you want me to tell him… absolutely _nothing_? Rhys, it'll kill him that he didn't know any sooner."

 

After a few minutes of intense gasping and shrieking and clapping, Meg finally seemed to have calmed down enough to speak normally. Rhys had explained everything on a secure ECHO line that he knew no one, not even Jack, could hack into. He'd pretended to be someone he wasn't until he had been certain Meg was not anywhere near Jack before he'd told her who he really was. 

He swallowed hard as he pondered his answer. Sure, in retrospect, the idea of staying away from Jack had seemed easy enough. But sitting on this cramped, busy, public shuttle headed for Helios - _knowing_ Jack was back down on Pandora - well, it was just about killing him. He craved Jack's touch and attention and knew full well that Jack would be mad as hell when he found out because Jack would most likely want the same. Particularly because Rhys had been away from him for what felt like a few hours but to Jack it had been eight fucking _months_.  The old man sitting beside him hacked up a lung and it finally brought him back to the present to continue speaking in a low voice to Meg. He had chosen to stay with the crowd, knowing that hiding in plain sight was key. 

"No. Don't tell him. I'm going to see what resources I can pull from my end to combat this damn _,_ uh _, w-a-r problem_ and I can't focus on that if he knows I'm back. And I won't be able to focus because...I'll just want to…" He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Look. Just keep him busy."

"That won't be hard. He's seeing the bodies this evening. For the first time, actually." A twinge pulled at Rhys' heart. "But I can't stop him heading back to Helios when he wants."

Rhys chewed the inside of his cheek in thought. "No, no. Send him back up to Helios as soon as possible." Rhys could organise plenty by the evening. "In fact, encourage him to. I'll be ready."

The man to his left scratched his nostril and licked his finger. Rhys shuddered. The sooner he could be CEO again, the better. 

"He plans to send the bodies to various points across the six galaxies as soon as they're ready. Obviously, they're ready. So?"

"....So?"

" _So_ do you want me to follow what the other CEO says or what you, another CEO, _should_ say?"

"Enlighten me."

A pause. "Send the bodies late tonight. I have everything ready anyway. I can orchestrate everything from within the base down here. Katagawa is way too close for comfort to risk keeping them here any longer than necessary, Rhys."

He nodded quickly. "Sure. We're leaving some on Pandora though, right?"

"About ten percent of each of you hidden across the planet."

"And no one else knows?"

"Just Nakyama, me, Jack, the service bots and...Penny."

"Right. Speaking of Penny, can you give me her number? It doesn't seem to be on my ECHO any more."

The line was silent for a while. When she spoke, her voice was small and quiet. "...I'll tell her to call you when I can. Just...go do what you need to on Helios and spend time with Jack before this war sends us all into a spiral of hell. Okay?"

There was something in her tone, something _off,_ but Rhys knew that Meg was smart enough to only explain the necessary. Whatever it was, it could clearly wait. 

"Okay. Warn me when he's on his way."

"I will do."

"Stay safe down there."

"You too, Rhys. This isn't the same company you left behind… You…never know who Maliwan might have their claws in."

Rhys nodded, ended the call and finally shoved a tissue towards the old man beside him, pushed over the edge of disgust by the long, thick strand of snot now hanging out if his left nostril. 

 

*

 

The arrival on Helios was smooth enough. He moved with the crowd, head down and hands dug into his hoodie pocket. He beeped his ID where necessary and, thankfully, it gained him access wherever he went so no one really had any reason to question him moving through the space station. He stepped into the elevator, heading up to Jack's office, and was joined by a small group of rowdy executives three floors up.

"Did you _see_ Jenkins' face when I gave him that wedgie? Oh _man_ . What a fuckin' _riot."_

"Oh my god, he totally had it coming!"

"Vasquez, you're a real dick man, but damn, I hate Jenkins so… _lolllll."_

_Did he seriously just say 'LOL' out loud? Are these douchebags seriously my employees?_

"Goddamn idiots," Rhys muttered under his breath, shaking his head. Suddenly, silence befell the elevator and all three turned themselves around to glare down at Rhys. The bearded one - _Vasquez_ \- stepped forward. He had an air of... _what was it_ …Rhys kept his head down under the hood but his eyes up as he surveyed the man. 

 

Ah yes.

 

An air of ' _monumental asshole_ ' about him. 

 

"What was that?" the vile man asked, his voice an irritating drawl. A disgusting, smug grin played on his lips. "You got something to say?" He grabbed Rhys by the front of the hoodie and yanked him up to his full height. "Say it to my _face,_ prick."

Rhys huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes. He tossed back his hood. The men around him gasped and Vasquez stumbled back into them. They simply shoved him away, back towards Rhys. 

"I said, _Vasquez,_ that you're goddamn idiots. Would you like me to jot it down on my own letter-headed paper so it really drives the message home? Because, _idiot_ , bullying your colleagues and then calling the CEO a prick really _isn't_ protocol."

"You're R-r-r-rhys-" Vasquez stammered. 

"Yes! And _you're_ r-r-r-eally fucked, kiddo!" Rhys gave himself a mental pat on the back for that one. He curled his left fist - careful to keep the right one hidden - around the quivering man's collar before bringing them nose-to-nose, snarling, "Go back to your department. Apologise to Jenkins personally and tell him he's got a pay rise coming to him _personally_ from _your_ bank account. Then pack your things and _get off my goddamn space station_." He let go of Vasquez then, shoving him back against the elevator doors which he hit with a bang. "I don't want anyone like you working for my company and I would have found out about you eventually. So, you _could_ say…" Rhys smirked and placed his hand on his hip, very pleased with himself as he repeated one of their previous phrases: "You _totally_ had it coming."

He laughed as the doors pinged open and they all fell out, scrambling away from him, desperate to escape further punishment. When the doors slid closed again, Rhys had to hold onto the railing to keep himself upright. 

 

He was just _too_ good. 

 

*

 

When he reached Jack's office floor, he strode out of the elevator with confidence, a smirk still on his lips, and his head held high. The guards stationed around the entrance lobby jumped into action, but he threw his hand up and pointed at his own face. 

"Is that Rhys Strongfork?"

"Sir?"

Rhys smiled and waved, flashing his ID. "Yes, it's me. Obviously," he said before gesturing to all of himself.

"But...we haven't seen you in…"

Rhys shrugged it off and sighed, feigning nonchalance. He threw up a hand and swirled it as he spoke, closing his eyes. "I know, I know. But duty calls and sometimes strutting around a space station you own _isn't_ the way to get things done."

"...That's what _Jack_ does," he heard one murmur to the other. He pretended not to hear but cackled inwardly and opened his eyes. The competition element of his relationship would most likely take a while, if not forever, to fizzle out. 

"I'm headed into the office. Would you kindly let me pass?"

The guards quickly parted and let Rhys through, muttering and whispering what he could only assume were utterances of surprise. It _had_ been eight months after all. 

 

Rhys prayed that his Atlas identiscan files had been transposed into the Hyperion systems - per his request to Nakayama - as he leant down slightly for a retinal scan at the same time as he placed his hand on the screen beside the door to scan his prints. He could feel the guards' eyes glued to his back. They had no reason to doubt him unless this didn't work. 

 

 _Beep_.

 

As the doors opened, relief washed over him and he grinned, turning back to the guards and nodding before walking inside. The doors closed behind him and he let out a shuddering breath.

"Fucking _hell_ ," he groaned, running a hand through his hair and gasping when he remembered once again that it was human and that he could feel every strand with it. He gazed down at it as he moved towards the desk. It had been a while since he'd been in this room. He felt like the last time had been after a Hyperion ball when Jack had wanted to show him how the face of Elpis had changed since the surface-altering explosion of Mt. Geiger. He chuckled as he approached the window and gazed down at the huge gash across the lunar surface. 

"And I didn't see that as romantic back then," he sighed, cocking his head as he followed the glowing moon's crevasse with his eyes. "What a moron."

 

Rhys swiftly shook himself. 

 

No time to think about romance.

 

He had a _war_ to win.

 

*

 

"Vaughn, Aunt Val, c'mon! I need you on my side!" 

His best friend and his Aunt glared at him from the computer screen. 

"Oh, you do, do you? What, you just pick us up when you need us?" Vaughn wore a face of pure betrayal and Rhys' heart sank. "You haven't called in nearly a year." Tears sprang up in Vaughn's eyes. "I almost _died_ twice and needed my _friend_ to be there but he _wasn't._ You've avoided all my calls!"

Rhys swallowed and opened his mouth to speak. 

"August went to find you at Atlas, boy," his Aunt huffed angrily, cutting him off. "They told him that no one even knew where you were. Wanna explain?"

It took a few moments of shame and guilt of not being able to tell the truth to pass before he knew he had to suck it up and tell the lie he'd devised on the way up to Helios.

"I was...in a coma," he said, lowering his eyes to the floor. 

" _What?!_ "

"After the Hyperion shuttle explosion...after the merger announcement...they discovered I had a bleed in my brain after I passed out at the Hyperion base. I...didn't wake up until a few days ago. No one told you because no one...no one knows about you. I keep my personal life and my work separate."

He waited with bated breath for them to buy it. Multiple emotions crossed both of their faces. He quickly continued. "No one at the company but Jack and some medical staff knew because they didn't want to make me an easy target to our enemies. I'm…" He hung his head further. "I'm so sorry you went so long without knowing."

"Oh, Rhys, shit. That's...that's hardcore." Vaughn chewed his lip. "I'm just glad you're awake. And you're okay? Cos I swear, that coma looks like it took ten years off your face."

"Maybe I should go have a coma," Aunt Vallory mused, smirking and rubbing a hand across her jaw. "You look like a damn baby, kid." 

It hit Rhys like a freight train. He hadn't even _thought_ about how his new body was younger than his old one. Twenty-five was the age the bodies matured, meaning Rhys was…

He yanked the second screen around, which was blank, and spotted his reflection in it. It was _true_ . He _was_ younger.

"Hey!" Vallory shouted at him. Rhys stared at her, eyes still wide from his revelation. "Look at me, boy," she snapped. "I'm bored of this shit. It's good to know you're not dead because that would make my son miserable. Don't call me again. Call August-"

"Wait!" Rhys cried out, snapping out of it. "Wait! I _need_ your bandits, Aunt Val. And Vaughn, I need every bandit _you_ can spare too. Having a Pandoran unit to boost our army might be the secret weapon we need to win this thing."

"You said that already," Vaughn muttered. "But we have our own problems, Rhys. We don't have the resources to spare men."

"I'll raise your sponsorships by twelve percent," Rhys claimed, the knowledge of how much that would cost hurting his very soul. 

"Twelve?!" Vaughn gasped, eyes blowing wide. "Rhys, that's-"

"-not enough," Vallory growled. "Make it fifteen and I'll give you everyone I've got. Maybe even me, if I can spare the time. I'm a busy woman-" 

"Same, bro!" Vaughn buzzed excitedly, almost bouncing in his seat. "Fifteen and it's all yours! _I'm_ all yours!"

Fifteen percent? _Fifteen_ percent?! Rhys would have to take a cut from his own paycheck to account for all that expenditure. But…

He had read the reports. He'd seen the numbers. Atlas-Hyperion had been so focused on picking itself up after the announcement that they hadn't been training the troops together nearly half as much as they should have been. Yes, they had the numbers, but _god._ Barely anything to call a strategy. 

 

Fifteen percent?

 

"I'll do thirteen and a half," he hissed. "That's all I can manage. That will boost your two communities through the roof. You'll be the most powerful bandit leaders on Pandora. You'll be unbeatable."

The two on the screen contemplated for a moment. 

"...Bro. You've got yourself a deal!"

"I suppose…" Vallory rolled her eyes. "I suppose I'll deal with it. You've got me on side, nephew. I really am glad you're not dead _now._ "

She flashed him a snide smirk and honestly, Rhys would pay money to punch her in the face. He loved August. But his Aunt? 

 

It was gross to know they were related by blood. 

 

However, he couldn't punch her. He could only thank her and Vaughn and promise an update soon before switching off the comms and collapsing back into Jack's chair. 

After a few seconds to compose himself, he felt a smile tug at his lips. He'd just secured Atlas-Hyperion something that Maliwan would never see coming. Hundreds of bandits at his command?

 

Katagawa's pretty little mug would be a face pizza in _no_ time. 

 

*

"He's on his way."

That had been the message Rhys had received from Meg.

 

He panicked. He swore.

 

_Jack was coming._

 

Rhys paced the office nervously, knotting his fingers together and grinding his teeth. Would Jack hate him for not reaching out as soon as he could have done? Would he even _look_ at him the same after all the time that had passed? He wrung his wrists and forced himself to stop moving despite the fact that his brain kept whirring away. He'd dismissed the guards. He didn't need anyone around to witness the fallout of whatever took place between himself and Jack. The last time he remembered seeing Jack, they were laying in bed making promises about the future. 

 

What good had those promises really been if their relationship couldn't stand the test of time? 

 

He closed his eyes.

 

He _had_ to have faith. 

 

He also couldn't show weakness. He may love Jack, but he needed Jack to see he was back in the game and ready to do what was necessary for the company. So he rounded the desk and perched himself in the chair, bringing up the security feeds. Jack's shuttle was coming in to land. He watched him climb off, noting his tense shoulders and irritable movements. People scattered as he stalked down the halls. He was really putting people in their place. Had the merger done this much of a number on him? Or was he just a more entitled prick that usual? 

Rhys decided that, with Handsome Jack, it was most likely the latter. So he picked up the office phone, grinning, and dialled the number of the very man who was on a war path to no doubt Rhys' precise location. 

"You wanna explain yourself before I open those doors and blow your fucking brains out?" 

That _voice._ God, he craved Jack more than he'd even realised. But he kept silent, knowing how much this was fucking with Jack's head. 

"You've got about thirty seconds before you're a stain on my carpet that my robot vacuum really won't struggle to get out."

He tried desperately to contain his laughter so put the ECHO on mute and choked out what he'd been holding in. A while passed, and when the sound of the doors opening echoed through the room, he forced himself to shut up. 

"I'm really not the kind of guy you should piss off, cupcake. You wanna break the silent act? I know you're in here."

Rhys span around in the chair, heart fluttering.

"Sorry, my love, I'm just stunned to fucking silence by the fact that you started a goddamn war in my absence."

His sweet, sweet man fell to his knees where he stood. A tidal wave of emotions crossed his features: shock, guilt, anguish, joy, confusion. His voice broke as he uttered only one word to break the silence between them. The pain in it broke Rhys' heart.

 

" _Rhys_ ."

 

Rhys let the facade drop and his face broke into a huge, warm smile. Tears sprang up in his eyes as he took in how _raw_ Jack's emotions were. Jack had never been one to show so much. Rhys stood, taking a deep but trembling breath. His lip wobbled and his heart was full. 

"Hey, handsome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter wasn't initially planned for as it was gonna be pure smut but I felt like Rhys needed to share his story. He's back, boi!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whistles* well shit 
> 
> So many things to be thankful for. The hit count, the comments, the kudos... I always feel so unworthy of the amount of love you give me. Thank you so very much. 
> 
> This chapter is nearly 6K. Our boys are finally reunited. 
> 
> ENJOY *blows kisses*

"Hey, handsome."

Jack just stared at him, mouth agape and eyes wide. Rhys longed to rush to him - to take him in his arms and kiss him furiously, _desperately_ \- but he knew Jack probably needed to take his time adjusting to the sudden reappearance of his dearly departed boyfriend. 

"Is it you?" Jack eventually managed, his voice weak and cracked around the edges. His hand stretched out, reaching for Rhys, before he pulled it back to his chest as a tight fist. Rhys nodded, smiling a little wider. Jack's eyes narrowed. " _Rhys_ would have come straight to me after waking up."

Rhys sucked in a breath. _Ah, shit._ So Jack _wasn't_ happy about him staying away. Jack was now climbing to his feet, his gun back in his hand. If looks could kill… 

 

Rhys took a big step back towards the window.

 

"Jack, it's me!" Jack began stalking towards him. "I needed some time to readjust and be _ready_ to see you." Rhys backed away faster. "I'm sorry, it's hard to understand, but I needed that time to _think_ and to _breathe_ and-" Jack's hand grasped his neck as Rhys bumped into the window and he _glared_ with such deep, intense loathing that tears escaped Rhys' eyes. The man was shaking something awful, and his grip on Rhys' throat ebbed and flowed with uncertainty, but Rhys brought up his two hands - his two _human_ hands - to rest on Jack's cheeks. Jack snarled but then froze suddenly, eyes trailing down his left cheek to Rhys' right hand. 

"I needed time to think about your question," Rhys lied, knowing full well that he'd had the answer to it for longer than he could remember but at least now he'd put something out there that only _Rhys_ would know about to prove himself. Jack stumbled away, gawking at Rhys' new/original body part that he had obviously never seen before. He bumped into the desk and grasped back at its edge so tightly his knuckles were white. His eyes were like moons as they shot between Rhys' face and arm. Rhys continued, slowly advancing with one hand up to brace the distance between them.

"Before I died. Before I _left_ you for eight months. You asked me a question, didn't you?" Jack slid to the floor, pressed against the desk drawers, as tears spilled down his face. "I remember everything, love. Even after the world went dark, just for a moment, I heard you, Jack." 

Finally arriving before Jack, Rhys lowered himself to his knees, touching Jack's with his own. He carefully took the gun from Jack's hands before taking them for himself and squeezing. Jack blinked slowly, swallowing hard. His face had paled dramatically, suggesting to Rhys that Jack finally knew and accepted _exactly_ who was kneeling in front of him. 

"Do you remember the question you asked me?" 

Jack stared for a moment before he nodded slowly, Adam's Apple bobbing. Rhys leaned in, pressing their foreheads together, as his hands found Jack's jaw. He stroked along it with the tips of his fingers and closed his eyes. 

"Would you like me to tell you my answer?" 

A long silence passed, in which Jack's breathing slowed and his body lost its sharp edges. It instead grew softer and more gentle. He nodded before his own hands curled around Rhys' and held them tight.

"Are you sure you don't already know?" Rhys' voice was almost a whisper now. Jack was silent for a moment.

" _Wait_ ," he muttered, shaking his head, muttering and pulling away. Rhys went to move with him but Jack shook his head again, stood and raised his hands. "Stay there."

Rhys clambered to his feet as he watched Jack move to the other side of the desk, rooting through a drawer. Rhys heart gave out as he saw Jack take a small box out and hide it behind his back.

"C'mere, Rhysie," the man murmured. He gestured at Rhys to come closer and, with legs like jelly, Rhys did as he was told. Jack used his free hand to take one of Rhys' and he squeezed it, his smile growing. "God, it's really _you_ ," he choked out in a laugh-come-sob. Swiftly, he attempted a semblance of seriousness. Rhys just stood there, trembling with anticipation. 

"This is uh…" Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Look, speeches aren't my thing...and I obviously didn't realise this would be happening _today_...and I've _tried_ to work out what I'd say to you but it's...it's...hard, y'know?" He cleared his throat and rolled his eyes before squeezing them shut. "These past eight months have been hell without you, baby. Shit, I can't believe you're even _here._ And it wasn't...it wasn't because running a merged company alone is hard. It wasn't even because I've been alone." Jack's eyes finally opened. He noticed the tear rolling down Rhys' cheek and rubbed it away with his thumb, eyes crinkling as he smiled. "It's because without you, there's a hole in me that can't be filled by anything else. Losing you...being without you...it…it..." Jack swallowed hard, let out a deep breath and dropped to one knee. Rhys blinked, his heart bursting, as Jack held his hand tight once more. 

"Nevermind what losing you did. I have you here _now_ and I'm never letting you go again. I once promised you the universe, Rhysie. I once promised you forever. But…" Jack frowned. "That was fuckin' stupid. I can't promise you shit like that because we have so little control over the future. What I _can_ promise you is that, no matter what, I'm _yours_ . I'll always love you and I'll always protect you and I'll even let you protect _me_ from time to time. Maybe we don't have forever in our future...but we'll sure as hell take today like it's our bitch." They both chuckled, Rhys sniffling. "So, uh... _shit._ " Rhys trembled the most he'd ever done in his life when Jack's eyes tore away from his and he produced the box from behind his back. Jack let go of his hand to open it, revealing a sleek black ring, hints of silver set in around the edge. 

"It took me a long time to get this. It's uh…" Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Well, your parents said that Dumpy had been in the closet for decades and you wouldn't mind if I repurposed them to...I mean...it's only Rayvar scrap metal but...without that scrap yard you'd never have even thought about Hyperion and then you'd never have-" 

Jack was cut off as he was thrown onto his back, Rhys landing on top of him to kiss his breath away. Jack had spoken to his _parents_ ? He'd _thought_ about the ring _that_ deeply?

"Ask me the damn question, Jack," Rhys begged, kissing him over and over. Jack chuckled against his lips before taking his face and holding him a hair's breadth away, their eyes locked. 

"Marry me, Rhys," he demanded, because when would Handsome Jack ever _ask_ nicely? Rhys laughed and kissed him once more. 

"Yes. A million times yes." His heart was exploding from his chest as he kissed his way across Jack's cheek to his ear. Jack guided them into a sitting position, Rhys' legs wrapped around his waist. He slipped the ring onto Rhys' finger whilst Rhys leaned in close. "I'm just sorry that I couldn't tell you that sooner."

Rhys yelped when all of a sudden he was pushed and pulled to his feet. When he'd steadied himself and finally stood tall, all air escaped his lungs as Jack slammed into him. He had pulled him into the tightest embrace Rhys could remember being a part of and, just before Rhys died of asphyxiation, Jack let go and took Rhys' face in both hands. His eyes shone and the smile on his face was goofy, ecstatic and _beautiful._

" _Rhys_ ," he breathed. "You're _here_."

Rhys returned the smile and leant into the touch. He slid his arms around Jack's neck. "I am. I'm here." 

Their noses touched before their mouths came together in a desperate, sudden, fervent kiss.  

"I've missed you," Jack exhaled against his lips whilst Rhys began working on the man's shirt buttons. 

"I know," Rhys replied. He placed his hands on the hot skin of Jack's chest. His muscles were _insane_ , Rhys suddenly realised, and he snorted. "Oh what the hell, Jack, you're freaking _ripped._ "

Jack smirked proudly. "Turned to exercise as a coping mechanism after Angel kicked my ass for moping about you. She said that, uh, you wouldn't appreciate coming back to a lard-ass twenty-five year old boyfriend with bad health who's covered in zits."

Rhys hummed in the back of his throat. His dick was solid as a rock from running his hands over Jack's chest and arms. 

"Yeah, think I prefer _this_."

"Speaking of being twenty-five…" Jack took Rhys' hands in his own then and kissed them before focusing on the new right one. "How does it feel?"

 

Rhys really hadn't had much time to think about it. He'd been so focused on seeing Jack and combating the war where he could that it hadn't seemed important enough to notice any changes other than his appearance. 

"The annoying ache in my back has gone," he noted. "So I guess that's good."

They both laughed at that. Jack ran a thumb down Rhys' cheek, then back up to his eye.

"Eye's new too," he relayed, peering closer. "You look so different."

"Bad different?" 

"Fucking _gorgeous_ different, babe." Jack kissed him again, fast and all-consuming. "Shit, I'm not gonna do anything with you in this damn office. We need to get back to the penthouse."

With that, Jack dragged him over to a new feature Rhys hadn't even noticed. There was a golden _elevator_ is Jack's office. 

"If this leads where I think it leads," he stated, shaking his head, "then you've reached a new level of laziness."

Jack simply shrugged, grinned and pulled him inside once the doors had pinged open. There was only one button:

 

' _Penthouse_ '. 

 

"Oh my _god_ -" Rhys' disapproving groan was cut off by Jack ramming him against the wall. He licked the shell of his ear as his hand roamed under Rhys' hoodie. 

"I've been imagining this moment for eight months," he growled, low and sultry. Rhys' eyes rolled into the back of his head when Jack palmed him through his jeans which were one hundred percent too tight. Jack leant back, observing him. "You're even prettier than I remembered, baby." 

Rhys surged forwards, grasping Jack by the face and kissing him with such force that they stumbled into the opposite wall, making the elevator shake dangerously. Neither cared as they devoured each other, hands everywhere. Jack's shirt was ripped and buttonless and Rhys' hoodie and t-shirt were yanked off by the time the elevator arrived at its destination. It pinged open into a small room with a door, a chair, a plant and a retinal scanner. 

"Uno secondo, kitten," Jack said, breaking them apart to lean and gain entry to what turned out to be-

"It goes straight into your living room?" Rhys blurted, kind of impressed. "Wow."

" _Our_ living room," Jack corrected, pulling him into his arms as the door slid closed behind them. "All your stuff is here. Look."

Rhys did. Sure enough, he saw himself in just about every other thing in the room; it all blended together incredibly well. It was Jack _and_ Rhys. He looked to Jack. 

"I love you."

"Love you too, kiddo." They laughed and Jack looked him over for what Rhys felt was the millionth time. He prodded Rhys in the nose. "And I _love_ this new look. You're so _twinky_." Rhys' gasp of anguish was quickly silenced by Jack laughing another kiss onto his lips. "Nothin' wrong with that, by the way."

"Stop talking." Rhys had managed to unzip Jack's pants by this point and shoved his hand inside, gripping Jack's solid length firmly. _Fuck._ He'd missed that. They'd only ever gotten to have sex once. It felt bizarre as hell - it felt like they should have been together like that hundreds of times by now. 

Jack's head tilted back and Rhys went for the kill, swiftly sucking a deep, red, angry mark onto his neck. 

"What the fuck-" 

"That's for calling me a twink, _asshole._ "

Flashing him an irritated glare, Jack rubbed at his neck. 

"Wow. I forgot what a little bitch you are." 

Rhys blew him a kiss before swirling his thumb over the head of Jack's wet cock, making the man grunt and lose the frown lines on his forehead. They kissed then, moving through the apartment and into the bedroom. Jack had Rhys against the wall, undoing his jeans and pulling Rhys' hand out of his own pants. When he dropped to his  knees, licking his lips, Rhys spluttered a remark of surprise.

"Oh-my god. Are you going to-" 

Jack leaned in and licked a wet line across the hip bone that was peeking out over the top of Rhys' jeans. Rhys clenched one fist and buried the other in Jack's hair. He bit down on his lip and watched as Jack looked up at him through his lashes.

 

Shit. Jack _was_ going to.

 

*

 

Jack's heart hadn't stopped hammering since he'd entered the office. 

 _Rhys_ was truly there before him, _real_ and quivering and pleading for him to take him into his mouth. He had been dreaming of this moment for months. He didn't just want to do this. He _needed_ to do this. He would try to find every way he could to show Rhys that he was his everything. He would take this slow. Make Rhys _whimper_ and _moan_ and _scream_ because, goddamnit, he had been waiting to hear those sounds above all else. With his hand cupping at Rhys through his jeans, he kissed the denim and relished in the small _thud_ of Rhys' head falling back against the wall. The man released a withheld breath and the noise went straight to Jack's own weeping length but he pushed thoughts of himself aside so that he could focus. He carefully pulled down Rhys' jeans, mouthing his balls through his underwear as he did. Jack's thumbnails dragged red lines across Rhys' hip bones and Rhys lightly tugged at his hair when he pressed into the soft skin where his hip bones dipped. 

"Jack, please," he whined from above. "Please, god, I _need_ you. _Now_."

Saving playful denial for another time, Jack did as asked and helped Rhys clamber awkwardly out of his jeans and underpants and socks. As soon as they were shed, Jack decided there was no holding back and filled his mouth with Rhys' cock. Above him, Rhys moaned so perfectly that Jack almost came in his pants. 

It had been decades since he'd sucked anyone off but he was pretty sure he still knew the basics. And, by the sounds Rhys was making, he wasn't doing a bad job. Squeezing his eyes shut, he got his hand involved too, the other gripping Rhys' ass so tight he was certain he would leave marks. 

"Fuck, Jack," Rhys breathed, swallowing hard. "Jack, oh god, that feels--that feels so _good_."

Both of his hands were in Jack's hair now, pulling hard enough to be painful. Jack didn't care. He shifted then, getting higher on his knees, and fully deep-throated Rhys (so he _could_ still do it!) until there were tears in his eyes. His finger on the hand gripping Rhys' ass had found his hole and as his mouth worked, he teased at it. This drove Rhys _crazy_ . His knees gave way and he dropped down the wall a little, a moan ripping its way from somewhere in his freaking _soul._ It was so intensely pornographic that Jack went to town then. He went faster and harder and Rhys _screamed_ as he came down Jack's throat. Jack coughed, swallowed and collapsed back on his ass, staring up at Rhys and breathing hard. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Rhys was still standing, knees bent, cock still slightly hard and his mouth hanging open deliciously. 

" _Jack_ ," he murmured after his breathing had calmed a little. " _Jack_ , _that was… Holy shit._ "

Smirking knowingly, Jack stood then, kissing Rhys on the jaw and chuckling. He took off the rest of his own clothes and watched Rhys' chest rising and falling. It was going so fast still that Jack gave himself a mental pat on the back. 

 

 _Boy_ , he was good. 

 

He took a step back to properly admire the sight of the naked man before him. Long, slender, pale and an entirely new blank canvas of skin ...Rhys was so hot that Jack could barely stand it. He needed more and he needed it _now._

"Come with me," he demanded, taking Rhys by the hand and guiding him to the bed. He laid the trembling man down and slid over him, kissing his way down his chest. Rhys whimpered at every touch, and writhed as Jack kissed both of his hips. 

" _Jack_ ," he wept, finally opening his eyes. "Jack, _please_ just get _inside_ me."

Jack was a giving man, sure. But he had his own agenda. 

"I'm on it, baby, I'm on it," he lied. Sitting up, Jack took the lube from the shelf and clicked the lid open. Rhys watched him through half-lidded eyes that blew wide when Jack pushed his legs apart and back towards his head so his ass was in the air. 

"I'm gonna make this the best night of your freakin' life, kitten," he purred, holding the lube bottle over Rhys' pretty little hole and squeezing the smallest amount over it. Rhys whimpered and threw back his head as Jack brushed his finger tip around it, still teasing rather than giving Rhys anything much to work with. As soon as Rhys looked back at him and frowned, Jack bent and licked his tongue around the rim, making Rhys squirm. 

" _Oh_."

Slowly, Jack swirled his tongue around before working it inside. Rhys' hands buried into the sheets and were holding them so hard Jack was sure they'd rip. He writhed deliciously beneath him until he could barely contain his pleading. Jack took this moment to bring Rhys' legs back down, lube his fingers up and plough them inside, curling them and instantly finding Rhys' sweet spot. Rhys was a sobbing puddle of a man by this point and Jack decided this was just the way he liked him. Every time Jack's fingers brushed his prostate, Rhys shook and cried out and it was taking everything in Jack not to come himself.

" _Jaaaaaaaa--aaa-aack_ . _M-m-more_!"

 

Deciding that Rhys was prepped enough, Jack shuffled back slightly to lube himself up, foregoing protection.

"Got tested," he grunted, positioning himself carefully. "Wanted to fuck you with _no_ interupptions because we've had goddamn enough of those."

Rhys chuckled breathily, eyes on Jack's dripping cock.

"Well, I'm new, so I definitely haven't got anythi-i- _oh._ "

Jack gritted his teeth as the sensation of Rhys' tightness around his neglected dick was almost unbearable. Remaining throbbing and buried to the hilt, he leaned and moaned into Rhys' mouth as he pulled back out to slide back in. He gripped at Rhys hard, using his body as a counterweight to his movements. He wouldn't last long, he knew that much, so he would make the most of what he could. What he wasn't expecting was Rhys suddenly maneuvering them so that he was on top. He sank down onto Jack with a grin and a moan and then bent down, closing the space between them.

"I don't want to wait," he said, holding Jack's face and kissing him deeply. They didn't speak for a while, just moving together as one. Soon, Jack was jerking with pleasure and was swearing a mantra under his breath. He needed more. He grabbed Rhys by the ass and turned them about again, him on top so that he could really bring this one home. 

"Oh _fuck_ ," he murmured, getting close. "Oh _fuck_."

Rhys placed his hands on Jack's chest and put a fraction of space between them. 

"Oh _god_ , I don't want to wait to get married." Jack could only nod, closing his eyes and pouring out moans.

"Oh, fuck, Rhys -- I'm gonna --" He didn't even get to finish the sentence as his hips stuttered. Rhys held on tightly, letting Jack ride out his orgasm. His own cock was erect again and Jack forced himself to control his thoughts and grab at Rhys because in no way was he ignoring _that_. Rhys threw his head back, mewling and shaking as Jack fisted him to completion. They collapsed together in a sticky heat, breathing heavy. 

"Me either," Jack finally replied. "Me either, baby." He propped himself up on his elbows and stroked a hand down Rhys' face. "Let's just do it tomorrow or somethin'. Real low key. Just us and family?"

Breaths ragged, Rhys beamed and nodded. "That sounds perfect." He traced a finger across Jack's bottom lip. "But I would have thought Handsome Jack would be keen to make a show of things?"

Jack frowned then, glancing at Rhys' eye and arm. 

"I think making a show of anything _you_ right now would be uh...problematic." He rolled off of Rhys and onto his back, staring at the ceiling. He could feel Rhys' eyes on him. "Your sudden appearance will cause talk anyway but...your arm and your eyes…" His eyes slid to Rhys', which were beginning to narrow. "People will start asking questions." 

"What do you suggest then?" he scoffed, propping himself on his elbows. "That I live in secret forever?"

Jack chewed on his lip, unsure if the suggestion he had was too extreme. He took a deep breath. 

"Just this once...while we work out how to combat this the next time...perhaps you should have your cybernetics reinstalled?"

He held his next breath as he watched his words settle on Rhys. The other man remained silent for a time, face unreadable. 

"My arm would have to be chopped off," he eventually said flatly, staring out of the window. "By _choice._ "

Jack didn't think it was appropriate to say anything for fear of having his balls chopped off; Rhys had a face that screamed 'bloody murder'. 

"And my eye. Pulled out. By _choice._ "

"...But it would mean you can...go out? In public? Without-"

"I know what it fucking means, Jack," he hissed, glaring at the man. They kept eye contact until Rhys' face softened and he rolled his eyes. "Sorry. I shouldn't have...look...it's just a lot to ask, okay?"

Jack's mouth was dry. "I know. But you...you get it? Right?" 

Rhys grimaced, collapsing back down and throwing a hand over his forehead. "I'm not doing this every damn time I come back. There will have to be some kind of reason put into place as to how I somehow grew my...fuck...how I somehow grew my _arm_ back. Fuuuuck. No one would buy any reason, god _damit_ ." He was quiet for moment. "I mean, people will notice eventually that we never age. This science will _not_ stay silent no matter how many excuses we give."

Jack huffed and stood, stretching. Rhys watched him with cautious eyes.

"There's only one scientist who's got the formula. And the others who helped are sworn to secrecy. _Our_ bodies are _done_." He shrugged. "One bullet will stop any other people getting their hands on immortality." 

Rhys had located some tissues and began cleaning himself up. "You're suggesting we kill Nakayama? He's devoted to you, Jack. He wouldn't sell you out."

"Meh. If Katagawa gets his hands on him and deals out the torture we _both_ know he's capable of, it won't be long before that Maliwan prick is all set up for the next thousand years."

"God, and then we'd have to deal with him for forever."

"Precisely. And he's a whiny bitch. I'm not down for that."

They chuckled and met eyes, smiling. Rhys climbed to his feet, gripping the bed frame for support as his legs wobbled. Jack grinned. _He'd_ done that. 

"This is _so_ not the conversation to have naked. Let me shower and wrap my head around all of this and then we can talk it through."

 

*

 

Jack let Rhys shower himself clean. 

 

After he'd thoroughly fucked him into the shower wall, of course.

 

*

 

Finally dressed and clean, they sat down on the couch with coffees and pillows in their laps. It was incredibly domestic and, weirdly enough, Jack absolutely _loved_ every moment. Usually he would have been disgusted with himself, but this was _Rhys_. He was dressed in one of Jack's oversized hoodies and a fresh pair of boxer shorts. Jack couldn't help the silly smile on his face as he watched Rhys settle himself into a comfortable position.

"So let me get this straight," Rhys began, gazing into his mug. "No one but Nakayama knows the formula for immortality. He's developed a way of growing what seems to be an uncountable number of bodies at once for multiple people, which leads to people being able to live for as many lifetimes as they want. If we kill Nakayama, no one but us will have immortality." Rhys looked to Jack for approval and got it in the form of a small nod. "...If anyone finds out...we'll be the biggest targets in the six galaxies. People will want it for themselves and, shit, some will just hunt us down out of mere _curiosity_ alone _._ "

Jack set his jaw. "Not if we play our cards right. Make ourselves the most dangerous immortals in those six galaxies. No one will touch us."

Rhys narrowed his eyes. "Was _that_ your original plan? Back when you started all this new body bullshit? To live as Handsome Jack forever and just expect people to accept it and be all 'oh boo, can't attack him for that immortality thing because he's too fucking _scary'_?!"

Silence passed. Jack shrugged. "Yup."

"Oh my _god._ " Rhys slapped Jack's thigh, voice full of disbelief. "Who do you think you _are_?!"

"Handsome fuckin' Jack, _pal_ ," Jack growled, batting Rhys away. "Don't you forget it." He sniffed. "I'm _unstoppable._ " When Rhys snorted, Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Got somethin' to say?"

Rhys couldn't stop chortling. "Oh, _sorry_ , I was just recalling the time I quite literally stopped you in your tracks and left you in the dirt. I had the power to crumble Hyperion to _dust_ and I only didn't because of my big, fat _crush_ on you, you stupid, handsome bastard."

Jack didn't know whether to be flattered or pissed. He settled with flashing Rhys a glare and folding his arms. 

"Watch your mouth, _Rhysie_."

Rhys continued laughing, now shaking as he did so. "Or _what_?" he cackled back. Jack kicked at him and grimaced further. 

"So," he hissed, turning the tide of the conversation. "Fuck all _that_ . You were saying about us being targets. I suppose people will be, uh, _jealous._ "

"Mmhmm." Rhys wiped a tear away and calmed down, still smirking. " _Real_ jealous. Which is why your suggestion of killing Nakayama sounds...acceptable. But, god, won't it play on your conscience? He's dedicated his life to you and he's the best goddamn scientist I've ever seen. He's undoubtedly our most valuable asset. Jack, we'd be fools to kill him and fools to keep him alive."

Cogs turned in Jack's head. Thoughts he severely disliked slipped in but they made sense and he hated that they did. He took a swig of coffee, barely noticing that it was scalding hot still. 

"What's on your mind?" Rhys took a sip of his own drink. 

"We could sell the science to the highest bidder. Be the richest men the galaxies have ever seen. Nakayama included. We wouldn't be the only immortals, sure. But _their_ issue would be getting their hands on pure Eridium. The Guardians won't let that slide, tons of people raining hell on their planet to get a sip of the sweet stuff. People won't stand a chance. Plus, the Guardians told us that  anything grown with their Eridium could be turned to dust with a snap of their fingers because of some weird connection or whatever. For us, we have the key. That's our connection. If we destroy the key, they can't touch us. And _without_  keys, no one's mining _any_ Eridium. No Eridium, no bodies." Jack tossed a cookie into his mouth. "So it's just a massive circle of shit, really." 

"Fucking hell," Rhys muttered. "Vaults won't just be hunted for treasures any more. People will come from everywhere to try and get as much Eridium as they can for immortality too. We'll be the cause of a damn galactic crisis, Jack."

Jack swallowed his mouthful. As his mind whirred, his heart rate sped up and a grin spread across his l crumb-covered lips. "We'll sell the formula _after_ we destroy the key. Then we're safe. People will fight over Eridium, sure, but that takes the heat off of us. They'll all be too busy trying to get their claws into the Vaults. Sucks to be them when they meet the wrath of a Vault Guardian though. _Heh_. People will learn soon enough. Especially when the Guardians can, like I said, just-" He snapped his fingers. "-take it away like that. Plus," he chuckled. "People will get bored of killing us when we just keep coming back." He clicked his tongue and settled back into the couch cushion. Rhys didn't seem convinced.

"So...the result of our immortality is that we... _sacrifice_ Pandora and it gets destroyed as people tear it apart hunting for Eridium and try and _kill us_ in the meantime? No…"

Out of the blue, Rhys was on his feet, clapping his hands together with a crazed look in his eye. He pointed a jabbing finger at Jack.

"We _tell_ people that our Vault Guardians granted us immortality as gratitude for destroying the key!" He grabbed Jack by the hands and pulled him to his feet excitedly. "We completely blindside them all. Then we don't have to kill Nakayama and then we still have the formula if we need it! We promise the man a life of luxury and protection as long as he keeps that formula in his damn _head_."

 

Jack's dick was hard. 

 

 _"Rhysie_ ," he breathed, beaming. "You brilliant son of a bitch." He caught his mouth with his own and they melted into one another. They only stopped when Jack's ECHO rang out from the table. Jack groaned and grabbed another cookie before crossing the room to answer but froze just before his hand picked it up. His eyes blew wide and he dropped his cookie.

"What?" Rhys asked, grabbing his drink from the coffee table. "Who is it?"

Jack stretched his jaw, frowning massively. "It's Katagawa."

Rhys was on his feet. "Answer it. _Now_."

"Yeah, yeah, but he can't see you, baby. Or hear you. Just...whatever happens, stay silent." Apprehensively, Jack accepted the call.

"What do you want, asshole?" 

" _Jaaaaaaaaack_ ! _Jacko Snacko! My_ _man! How are you?"_

"Oh shut  up and get to the fuckin' point. _What_ do you _want_?"

" _Oh, nothing much. A manicure? A shoe shine, perhaps. Or  maybe even a Vault Key?"_ Both men stilled. " _Yes. I know you have one, Jackie."_ A pause. _"_   _I_ want _it._ "

Jack huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes. How the _fuck_ did he know about that? 

"We all want things we can't have, Maliwan."

 _"Yes, yes, true,"_  Katagawa sighed. " _Just_ _like you can't just have your precious daughter back just because you_ want _her."_

 

The world swept out from under Jack's feet. 

 

*

 

Rhys gasped despite himself. 

" _Oh!  Ohhh! Is that Rhys?"_  the loathsome man squeaked. _"Hiii Rhys!! Rhyso!! Lemme, lemme see you! I always_ knew _a Pandoran disease couldn't possibly be the miserable end of the great Atlas CEO! Anyway, yeah, say hi to your dad, Angel!"_

Rhys moved closer. He needed to hold Jack or do _something_ because it looked like the poor man was about to pass out. The video feed flickered on and there was Katagawa's bitchy little face grinning maniacally. From what Rhys could see, he was in what looked like a dungeon. Behind him was a young woman who Rhys instantly recognised. She was strapped into some kind of contraption. The pit of Rhys' stomach dropped. 

"You piece of shit," Jack snarled. The ECHO in his hands made a cracking sound in his grip but the video didn't falter. "I'll fucking kill you. How the hell did you-"

" _Ah ah ah!"_ Katagawa sing-songed, waggling a finger. Rhys wanted to punch him in the face. _"It's less about the_ how _and more about the_ why _."_ His Cheshire grin widened. " _But let me speak to Rhys. I want to see that beautiful new body he's slipped into."_

Both of them gawped. He knew everything. Rhys was freaking out. He knew _everything._ Before Jack could argue, Rhys snatched the device and glared daggers at the man on the other end of the call.

"Why, then? You want us to, what, swap the Vault Key for Angel? You're a moron if you think having Angel gives you any kind of leverage."

Katagawa's lip quirked and he raised an eyebrow. " _Oh, goodness, you think I didn't know that she was a Siren? My own little Siren has been_ very _helpful in telling me all about you both, especially about your little_ immortality _adventures. Plus so many other thrilling things._ _So we placed a, heh,_ Siren _Call out to Angel to invite her to a party! Woo!"_ He did a disgusting, smug dance and Rhys was almost sick in his mouth. " _She came out to play but doesn't seem anywhere_ near _as grateful as she should be for not being dead already. My nifty little machine keeps her Siren powers at bay too so she can't just, haha,_ kill _me._ _See, Jack, you_ are _going to hand over that Key over to me, along with your nerdy scientist Nakymyamas or whoever, and then your daughter will be returned to you safe and sound. God_ bless _."_

"I'm gonna _kill_ you!" Jack roared, yanking the ECHO from Rhys. Katagawa screamed with laughter. "I'm gonna _fucking_ murder you when I get my hands on you!" 

" _And I'll merely come back again in my new body,"_ Katagawa replied. " _Just. like._ you _."_

"I'm so sorry!" came a hauntingly familiar voice from somewhere near Katagawa. "He tortured it all out of me! Please. I never wanted to hurt you, at least not after I got to _know_ you!"

" _Shut up, Penny."_

 

Rhys sank to his knees in horror. _What-_

 

" _I'll give you some time to think it over, m'kay? Either you have no Key but a very alive Siren daughter OR you have a Key yet a very dead Siren daughter. Your choice."_

 

The video feed cut out and the call went dead. They both stared at one another. 

 

The painful silence was soon broken by a full, long, deep roar of devastation and an ECHO device smashing against the wall on the far-side of the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GET OVER HERE AND YELL AT ME


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooooooo the level of traction this story seems to be getting at the moment is wild to me and I'm chuffed to bits, honestly. Thank you again.
> 
> This one's short, sweet but necessary. Next chapter it should all come to a head and we will finally see how this all comes together. I'd say this fic only has a couple of chapters left in it, which hurts me deeply. I've never been so invested in a story and by now it doesn't feel like Borderlands Rhys and Jack but MY Rhys and Jack. These assholes are causing havoc in my head CONSTANTLY, begging for their stories to be told.
> 
> SIDE NOTE. A character from BL3 is in this chapter but aside from their uh...location, I guess??? Not very spoilery. I would even say not spoilery at all? But it's your shout.
> 
> Love love love!!! Enjoy xx 😘

Music blasting and head bobbing along to its rhythm, the young girl poked out her tongue as she painted her nails electric-blue. It had been a long day, what with practise and studies being more intense than usual, and she needed some time for herself. She  _ despised  _ this time of year; the amount of examinations the monks forced upon them was disgraceful. 

The dorm door opened and Angel fell in. She had dark circles under her eyes and a deep frown on her face. She didn't speak as she stalked across the room and flopped onto her bed which squeaked back at her indignantly. 

"That bad, huh?" Ava sighed, putting the lid back on the polish bottle. Angel grunted. "Want me to turn to turn the music down?" A small nod had Ava leaning over and turning the knob on the radio to low. "You wanna talk about it?" 

The other girl groaned and flipped over, staring at the ceiling. 

"You know when you just try so hard and the universe seems to throw it back in your face? I'm so  _ over _ being kicked in the butt by life."

"Oh _ , word _ ," Ava replied, moving across the room and perching herself beside Angel. She looked down at her sympathetically before patting her head. "Looks like it's out to get us both. Sylens gave me double kitchen duty because he caught me flipping him the bird behind his back." Her eyebrows lowered. "Damn seers and their stupid...seeing...powers."

Angel chuckled at this, which made Ava smile.

"I mean, you basically asked the universe to kick your ass for that one, A."

"Hey, don't come for me. Remember, Gelly, I'm all you've got in this dirt pile."

Angel pushed herself into a sitting position and shot Ava a look. 

"Yes, I'm very  _ aware _ of that because you like to remind me at least once every few days." 

Ava shrugged. "We've got to stick together." She grinned and bumped Angel's shoulder with her own until the other girl couldn't help but smile too. 

"Go  _ away _ and let your nails dry," Angel sighed, shoving Ava off of her bed. "I've got to go shower."

Stomping dramatically away from her, making her laugh more, Ava huffed and crawled onto her bed to read her book. Angel dotted about the room collecting things she needed for her shower and then disappeared into the ensuite bathroom. 

Three minutes later she was out again, probably having forgotten something as per usual, but when Ava rolled her eyes up from the pages of her book, confusion swept over her. 

"...Gelly?" Angel gripped the doorframe, still dressed but pale. Her eyes were round and large. " _ Angel _ . What's wrong?"

"...I...I uh…" Suddenly, something overcame her and she was darting around the room, grabbing her training clothes. 

"Did Maya Call you for a late practise…?"

"Y...yeah. I'm, um, super pissed that she...called me this…" Angel tugged on her jacket and zipped it up to her chin. "...this late, I guess."

Ava was on her feet. "You're acting super weird."

"I'm  _ fine _ ," her friend retorted sternly, turning on her. Her hands glowed and she stepped forward menacingly. Ava threw her hands up in defense. 

"Okay! Okay! Just...I'm on your side, whatever it is." Then rage crossed Ava's vision. She pointed a finger. "Don't you ever go Siren at me again, you  _ ass _ . That's not fair and you know it." 

"I'll...see you later," was all Angel sighed back, throwing a bag over her shoulder. She reached for the door handle but turned to look at Ava. "And stop clenching your fists... you'll ruin your nails."

 

*

 

Angel darted through the monastery grounds, sticking to dark, hidden corners. She couldn't believe it. Penny? A  _ Siren _ ?! They'd never met face-to-face but it sure was handy that her dad had one of them on his team. When she rounded the next corner, she leant against the wall and caught her breath. Why hadn't she known about Penny before? Surely all the Sirens were known to each other? Perhaps she was an outcast…

 

Angel shook her head. 

 

It didn't matter what Penny had done or what choices she'd made. Rhys had trusted her. Her  _ father  _ trusted her. 

 

And now he was in trouble.  _ Siren business _ , Penny had said. It could be dealt with by Sirens but it wasn't so bad that they needed the great powers of Maya or Lilith. Penny had been sweet in saying that her dad would also likely appreciate the familial closeness she could bring.

"But, goodness, don't tell him I've spoken to you. He'll  _ kill _ me. Ha ha. You know how proud he is. He thinks he can deal with this on his own!"

"But why can't you just tell me what it is?" Angel had pressed, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Penny had replied with a small smile and a deep breath. 

"It's really not my place, sweetheart. All I can tell you is that he needs you and that there's a car waiting for you just outside of the monastery."

"And you say I'll be back by breakfast tomorrow?"

Penny had blinked fast, tilting her head and biting her lip. "No one will even have time to miss you."

"My friend Ava will worry."

The other Siren had glanced away, laughing under her breath with a slightly strange air of uncertainty.

"I'm sure a quick ECHO message later on to tell her that you've decided to stay over at Atlas for the night will appease that. You don't want any  _ trouble  _ for sneaking out, after all!"

 

So here Angel was, following the wall of the monastery with her hand, eyes flicking left and right at any noise or movement. She knew Lilith was going to kick her ass when she found out, because Lilith found out  _ everything _ and it didn't half get on Angel's nerves. When she finally reached the set of doors that separated the monastery from the rest of Pandora, she watched the guards for a while to get a good idea of their patterns. When she was sure she wasn't in direct line of sight, she Shifted into the panel beside the door and unlocked it after disabling the alarms. Bag hoisted over her shoulder, she readied herself to sprint for it.

 

"Don't even think about it,"  came a familiar, irritated voice from behind her. Angel rolled her eyes and span on the spot to find Ava looming out of the shadows. Her arms were folded across her chest. "You lied to me. That's  _ not _ what friends do."

Angel could have screamed. She had always thought that trying to escape this place would have its trials and tribulations but it had all gone so smoothly until  _ Ava _ . She hadn't accounted for  _Ava._

"And  _ you  _ chose to disbelieve me!" she growled back, as quietly as she could, matching Ava's posture. "That's not what friends do  _ either _ !"

Ava looked her up and down, pouting. "So where are you going?" 

Rocking back on her heels, Angel bit her lip. "My dad's in trouble. I got Called by another Siren - Penny, she works for my dad - while I was in the bathroom. Says my dad needs me but is too proud to admit it."

"Aaaaand you chose not to tell me all that  _ because _ …?"

"Because what if Penny has been like...disgraced or something? Why don't we know about her?"

Ava shrugged. "I dunno. Weird. Maybe she just...never wanted to be a Siren? Never sent out the Call?"

"Oh…" Damn Ava for being the biggest bookworm in the monastery. How could Angel have forgotten? Sirens only knew about others when they revealed themselves through the Call. It made sense. The terror and plaguing danger of being a Siren could make anyone crawl under a rock forever. Angel sometimes wished she'd done just that. But in her fear, one night aged ten, she'd cried out for someone -  _ anyone _ \- to help her, and Maya had heard her accidental Call. Cue monastery visits and meeting Maya and Lilith… Angel had soon been swept into Siren life with barely two blinks in between. 

 

Perhaps Penny had never chosen to lead that life. 

 

Angel tried to ignore the pang of envy that attached itself to the notion. 

 

"Will you tell? About...this?" Angel gestured at the door behind her. Her mouth turned down in a deep grimace as Ava raised her eyebrow. 

"What, you think I'm a snitch now? Gelly, you're  _ really  _ not selling how much of a friend you take me for-"

Ava was cut off when Angel slammed into her, pulling her close. She smelled of rose soap and cigarette smoke - a secret habit that Angel had kept a secret just for her. The scent was so familiar after the year they'd shared as roommates that it made Angel's eyes crinkle as she smiled. 

"Thanks, A. I'll be back by breakfast. If not? It's because I'm staying over at Atlas HQ. You'll-"

"Cover you? Of course." They broke apart and grinned at each other. 

  
  
  
  


When icy metal bands were suddenly snapped around Angel's wrists as she settled back into the seat of the car that had been waiting for her, her grin finally fell away. 

 

*

 

Penny slumped against her chains, her pounding head screaming at her, almost as though her brain was trying to claw its way out. The suppressants usually had no horrible side effects, but Katagawa had obviously mixed these recent dosages with something  _ evil _ .

"Well  _ done _ , Penelope. An  _ exceptional  _ performance."

The pressure of the shotgun muzzle at her throat finally disappeared. She let out a ragged breath, exhausted.

"You're a  _ monster _ . She's a  _ child _ ."

He threw his head back and laughed, the sound cutting through her.

"She's a _Siren_ , which makes having her in my possession not _only_ fantastic leverage but also it makes me that much _stronger_. You think I don't control you, Penelope? You thought you could run off into the sunset but I found you, like I always do, and locked you up." He snatched her jaw in his hand, squeezing hard. He forced her head round so she couldn't help but glare into his eyes. "You answer to my every desire because I _own_ you. Imagine what I could do with two of you." 

"You'll never beat them," she spat, jolting her head out of his grasp. 

Katagawa laughed once more, cold and high. "Oh, my dear, if Angel gets into that car? I already  _ have _ ."

 

*

 

"I don't  _ care _ how many times I have to demand,  _ Lilith _ . You have about ten more seconds to explain how the  _ hell _ my daughter went missing and why I wasn't told. And if I don't get a good enough answer this time, and  _ boy I don't think there is one _ , then heads will  _ fucking  _ roll." 

Jack was pacing the apartment in a crazed stupor, Rhys silently watching from the couch. A new ECHO sat in the centre of the dining table, linked to the monastery on Pandora. They'd been communicating for a length of time that Rhys had lost count of and the vein in Jack's temple now looked ready to explode. 

"Well, seeing as she snuck out the day before yesterday, it's not like we even realised-"

"Two days! And you didn't goddamn raise suspicions-"

"Jack!" Lilith snapped, cutting him off. "Her friend told us she wasn't feeling great. Something about a bad head cold. We believed her because it's been  _ years _ and Angel has hardly ever caused us a problem. I'm so sorry this has all happened but it was Angel's choice to sneak out. She Shifted the doors and the guards' ECHOs. Plus, we've never been naive enough to think for a second that we could contain a force like your daughter. Really it was only a matter of time-"

"I don't give a  _ shit.  _ You told me you could take care of her. Where  _ is  _ she?!"

Rhys sank down in his seat. How could he ever look Jack in the eye again?  _ He'd  _ employed Penny.  _ He'd  _ fallen for her charms.  _ He'd  _ let her  _ in.  _

 

...This was all his fault.

 

"No! Shut up!!!" Jack ramming his fist against the wooden table had Rhys jumping in his seat and staring at him once again. He realised with sickly sweet relief that Jack  _ wasn't _ shouting at him. No...no...he'd been talking to Lilith. "Shut up!! I  _ know _ you Sirens can "call" one another. Do it!  _ Now _ !"

"We've tried everything! Wherever Katagawa has her, she's off our radar." Lilith's voice was steady, but there was a strain in her tone. "I'm sorry, Jack. Maya's trying everything she can think of. Nothing is working."

A crackle at the end of the ECHO line.

"Jack? It's Maya."

"Tell me she's lying," Jack breathed, sliding into a chair and burying his face in his hands. Rhys' chest hurt. He wanted to curl around Jack and comfort him but how could he? "Maya, tell me that  _ bitch  _ is lying."

A pause. "Don't call her that. She's done as much as she can to locate Angel since you contacted us, just as I have. Ava, her friend, told us all she could once she knew something was wrong but there was nothing we could go on. I'm so sorry." 

 

A long silence passed between them.  Tears burned the corners of Rhys' vision and the sick feeling in his stomach worsened tenfold. 

"We won't stop hunting, Jack. No one captures a Siren and gets away with it. We'll scour Pandora a million times before we give up." Maya audibly swallowed. "She's my sister. I love her too much to let her go to that Maliwan piece of shit. Surely you have something to use as leverage against him?"

"Of course I do!" Jack roared, launching to his feet and gripping at his face. "Why the hell else do you think he took her in the first place?! I just…" Jack span, facing Rhys for the first time since the news broke about Angel. His hand slid away and their eyes met; Jack's expression tore Rhys to pieces. "I just hoped we had a way to solve it before it came to that."

"Oh, Jack. What's more important than your daughter's life?"

Jack's eyes shone as he regarded Rhys sitting there on the couch, legs pulled up to his chest. Rhys knew exactly what he was thinking. If they gave Katagawa what he wanted, the Guardians would keep their promise and Rhys would return to the dust for good.  Everything they'd dreamed of would be nothing but a memory in Jack's head. But this was Jack's daughter. A young girl. 

 

Rhys had lived far longer than he'd ever thought he would, being the Atlas CEO and all. 

 

With a heavy heart, knowing the weight of his actions, Rhys stood and crossed the room to the ECHO, keeping Jack's devastated gaze. He placed his finger on the device. 

"Jack knows there's nothing is more important than that," he announced to the Siren, and ended the call. 

 

*

 

"Rhys-"

"There's nothing to say."

"Rhys-"

"It's all just a middle finger to nature anyway," Rhys hissed between his teeth, rolling his eyes in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. It failed, because he looked back at Jack and what he saw made him break into shuddering sobs. "I...was never meant...to come back. It's...fine…"

His sobs were muffled by Jack's chest as he was pulled into it. Jack kissed his hair and his forehead and his face. Rhys nosed his way to air and took a deep breath, steadying himself. 

"Your daughter's safety is imperative." Rhys brought his hands between them and held himself at a short distance. "We have to focus on getting her back. No matter what the Guardians' punishment will be. The Key...it belongs to Katagawa now."

 

It was when Jack stilled that Rhys chanced a look at his face. A strange expression was resting upon it: something between realisation and bemusement. The startling shift of emotion from the man had Rhys stepping away cautiously. Could this be the moment Handsome Jack finally snapped? Jack clapped his hands together. Rhys almost fainted at the sound. He didn't even have a weapon to defend himself. 

"That's it!" Jack announced, clicking his fingers and letting out a laugh. Rhys backed away slowly because in all honesty he'd never actually ever  _ seen  _ anyone collapse into literal insanity but he was certain this was how it started. When Jack rushed at him, he let out a yelp of panic and froze on the spot. 

"Rhys!" As Jack ogled down at him in his frenzy, Rhys watched something snap in his head as his grin turned to a frown. "...Are you okay?"

"Are  _ you _ okay?" Rhys managed in response. Jack shook his head, laughing again. 

"Oh baby, I'm  _ fan-fucking-tastic. _ " His finger caught under Rhys' chin and he tilted Rhys' head back so he could look him in the eyes. He placed a kiss on Rhys' lips. "I've just thought of a way to give everyone  _ exactly  _ what they're begging for." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh what's Handsome Jack up to


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Writing this chapter knocked me sideways. I really enjoyed bringing strands of the story together and telling stories from other POVs to shed more light on characters' previous choices.
> 
> I hope you love this chapter as much as I do. ♥️

"Don't _touch_ me," Angel thundered, trying her very best to keep somewhat strong and level-headed. Despite her many impassioned, vehement requests since her capture, the two Maliwan guards - who had their large hands tightly clamped around her arms - ignored her, grunted, and continued to drag her down the dimly lit stairwell and into the looming darkness. By this point in her kidnapping, she had worked out that something was neutralising her powers; it was the damn metal cuffs around her wrists. She then noticed her tattoo had dwindled to nothing and her breath quickened as she began to worry that perhaps she'd been sapped of her powers forever. 

"I demand to know where you're taking me!" Angel hissed, hating how desperate she sounded.

"Oh, shut it ya freak," one of the men groaned in a thick, Eden-6 drawl. "You got any idea what 'silence is golden' means?"

"Maybe not but I've got _every_ idea what it will mean when I put my fist through your _face_ ," she snapped back, which only made him roll his eyes. They continued, down down down, into what appeared to be some grim, dank basement. She hadn't got a clue where she was - her head had been covered by a bag until five minutes previously.

They turned a sharp corner. The light was minimal - in fact only candlelight it seemed - but it wasn't the candles that caught Angel's immediate attention. In the centre of the room, chained to a circular contraption, hanging by her arms, was…

" _Penny,"_ Angel breathed. The sight was traumatising - Angel had never seen anything like it. The other Siren dragged her head up and smiled meekly. 

"Hello, sweetheart." Her voice was bones rattling in the wind. The men either side of Angel had stopped pulling her along, almost like they _wanted_ her to take in the sight as much as possible. Angel swallowed. 

"What have they _done_ to you?" 

The other woman's skin was sallow, her skull becoming visible around her eye sockets. Her light green eyes were sunken in and there was no glisten to them; no hint of life. Nothing at all like the Siren she'd been Called by. The Siren coughed, blood spattering the floor before her. She licked her lips. 

"They've done what they see fit to punish me," she sighed, cracking her neck. "Katagawa is not the forgiving type and my actions against him are, apparently, unforgivable"

 

Angel had heard that name before….Katagawa...the name was so…familiar… 

 

Her father had bragged about someone called Katagawa before...

 

It clicked. 

 

"The _Maliwan_ CEO? That's who's done this?"

 

Suddenly, the men who held her yanked her over to a slimy, wet wall and slapped her hands above her head, fastening the cuffs to clamps there. She didn't bother to fight back - the journey and the trek here had proved that, without her powers, she was nothing but a weak, mortal teenager who couldn't even take on one brute let alone two. They left shortly after, leaving Penny and Angel alone. 

"The very one," Penny finally replied through her teeth. Her deep-set eyes found Angel's. "I'm so sorry this happened, honey. He forced my hand...tortured me...fed me poisons. He took me off Siren suppressants long enough for me to reach out to you. Long story short, because he’s sure to be her any second, you're here because he's using you as leverage for a Vault Key." Her voice was barely a rasp now, as though she'd spoken too much for her poor lungs to cope with.

Angel opened her mouth, questions flooding towards her lips, but the door flew open to reveal a slender, dark-haired man with a mint-green suit and a shining, yellow, cybernetic eye.

 

Angel lowered her eyebrows. 

 

_Katagawa._

 

"Ah, perfect," he began, rubbing his hands together and stepping into the room. "You two have gotten acquainted! How _lovely_ it must be to meet another one of your kind in the flesh." The flash in his eyes was vicious as he approached Penny. "Isn't that right, Penelope? This must be quite the moment for you, hmm?"

The way his hand curled around the other Siren's jaw, nails digging in, made Angel want to _destroy him._ A strange sensation, something faintly similar to her powers, burnt like an ember within her but she couldn’t reach it. Instead, she turned her rage into words. 

"Must be quite the moment for you too, Katagawa," Angel spat, grinning. The man's head snapped around, facing her. "Finally having found _something_ to use against my father. It's only taken you, what, a decade?" She snorted at his glower. Slowly, he began to approach. Angel didn’t falter. "And it's hilarious that you think taking me hostage will stop Handsome Jack. You kill me? You take me away from my dad?" Her voice lowered. "You'll wish you'd killed yourself instead after he's through with you. I'm sure it won't be hard to put an end to you either. From what _I've_ heard, you're the weakest goddamn link of all the companies-"

A painful whack to her stomach had her next words getting lost in a gasp. Katagawa drew back his fist and slammed it into her again, this time across her cheek. Agony seared through her face and head and her ears rang from the impact. For a scrawny guy, he sure packed a punch. Angel licked up the blood that was now spilling from her split lip, eyes locked on Katagawa's. He came up close, their noses centimetres apart. 

"Your insolence is no doubt why your father locked you away in a monastery for all these years. After all, who would want a daughter as... _tainted_ as you _._ " 

With that, he stalked away, patting Penny on the cheek as he passed her. She spat at his feet weakly. In the doorway, he span and looked pointedly between them. 

"Don't get too comfortable down here, ladies." He clicked his tongue. "We'll be on the move as soon as I get the location of that Vault." 

Angel took her turn to spit at him as he waved his fingers at her. He turned on his heel and slithered away up the stairs like the snake he truly was. 

 

*

 

_"What do you mean they've made it past the second level security?!" Katagawa screamed into the ECHO. "That's impossible?!" He sweated as he desperately darted about his control room, all cameras still down. They'd fucked with the cameras and infiltrated his goddamn fucking company, all with only a few Hyperion soldiers at their command._

 

_It made him look like a massive joke._

 

_No one would ever take him seriously again._

 

_"Looks like they've hacked in, sir," someone said, their voice almost a blur. "Best hacking I've ever seen."_

_"Get me another team down there. Now."_

_"Sir, we've already sent all of our special ops in. Our other units are stationed at our other facilities. It'll have to be someone else. Their teams have really mullered our troops but I've already sent through the intel to the closest commanding officers we have."_

_"Good, good." It wasn't good. But he had to...he had to keep up some semblance of sanity, if not for them then for himself at least. "Just don't let them get to that damn room. If they do…" Katagawa's lip quirked. "I'll kill every one of you_ myself _."_

 

_*_

 

 _Katagawa sank down into his office chair, the only thing left standing after he'd decimated his entire office in a blinding rage. How the hell had they done it? Wiped him out like he was_ nothing _? He was Maliwan, for fuck sake. He was_ better _than them_! 

  


_Wasn't he?_

  


_He felt ashamed to have not only failed himself but failed his company. They'd lost the data that...that would have changed the face of Maliwan for good. The data that would have made them_ kings. 

 

 _And now Handsome Jack had it. He and some...some_ kid _with ridiculous hacking abilities. They’d taken his way to win._

 

_No._

 

 _More like_ ripped _it from Maliwan's hands._

 

_Katagawa let out a shriek of fury._

 

 _He would_ never _let this happen again._

 

*

 

_"So what you're saying is the trade routes would be policed by all of us to avoid those damn pirates?" Wainwright Jakobs asked, sitting forward in his chair. Rhys stood at the end of the table, nodding, and the other CEOs began murmuring (well, everyone but Torgue, who shouted) amongst themselves as Katagawa watched on with disdain._

_He hadn't wanted anything to do with these trade deals but necessity meant he didn't really have a choice. If they all agreed, and he didn't, then Maliwan would fall behind and be left in the dust. He hated to admit that it was, honestly, a smart idea. Rhys...Atlas CEO and hacker extraordinaire...he was quite something to behold-_

_“Hey, Katty, why so sour?"_

_Slowly, he glared towards the other end of the table. Jack was sitting with his legs kicked up, arms crossed against his chest. His stupid, grinning face was a picture of smugness. Everyone was staring now._

_"Don't worry, Kitty Kat, you precious little try-hard. We’ll make it_ real _easy for you to understand when the reports get written up. I know it’s hard for your pea-brain to keep up with these meetings.” People began to chuckle. Katagawa’s ears burned. Jack shoved himself to his feet and moved beside Rhys, his hand finding the slender man’s shoulder. A smirk had settled on Rhys’ lips too. “Lemme paraphrase our discussion, Katty. We all support one another’s off-world trade routes so we can avoid these goddamn pirates and in return we get more dollar! Get it?”_

_Katagawa was on his feet. “Shut your mouth, Hyperion. I’m no fool.”_

_Jack gasped, feigning surprise, and placed a hand on his chest. His arm now hung lazily around Rhys’ shoulders. “Oh? See, I was under the impression that you were a big, fat moron! Oh man, how embarrassing...see, I thought because you just let us waltz into your facility a few years ago that you were just…” Jack laughed and shook his head. “...just really, really fuckin’ stupid…” The entire room fell into horrendous, uproarious laughter._  

_Rhys was the only one who didn’t laugh. Katagawa looked to him, eyes pleading for some kind of help, some sort of support. If someone could back him up, if someone could explain that it was Rhys’ superior hacking that had been the only reason Jack had gained entry, then it was Rhys. If Rhys told them all the truth, then Katagawa could retain some kind of respect from these assholes. Rhys tilted his head back slightly, keeping eye contact._

_“Everyone, please!” Rhys barked. The laughter softened, the CEOs facing Atlas. “Look, leave Katagawa alone.” Katagawa’s heart swelled. He sat back down and he felt his lips quirk up into a small smile. Rhys continued. “Look, perhaps this will boost Maliwan’s profit margins and they’ll actually be able to afford some better security. Then Katagawa can finally focus on actually running a semi-decent company. Bless him, leave him alone.” Rhys pouted dramatically. “He’s only trying his_ best. _"_

_Katagawa curled his hands into fists in his lap, feeling sick. They wouldn't stop...they kept...they kept laughing...and laughing...even Rhys. Jack kept making snarky comments and starting them off again and again and Katagawa swore something in that moment._

 

 _He swore that one day Handsome Jack and Rhys would answer for it. Oh yes. They’d both answer for it_ **_all_ ** _._

 

*

 

Victory was _sweet._ The daughter-card he'd played had been _just_ the ticket to get Handsome Jack to finally submit to him. After all the years of being treated like the lesser man; after all the _years_ of being pushed around and made out to be the loser…

 

Katagawa had _won._

 

He hadn't been at all surprised when Jack and Rhys had arrived at the location of the Vault with truckloads of soldiers at their disposal. He'd done the same, of course, just in case things got... _unnecessarily_ messy. 

 

So here they were, guns in hand. It was like they were a part of some silly cowboy showdown, standing at opposite sides of the craggy pass, the Vault entrance visible through the trees behind the two forlorn CEOs opposite. It didn’t slip past his notice how young they both looked and that Rhys didn’t have any cybernetics. Oh, he couldn’t _wait_ to get his hands on that Key. In the meantime, Katagawa stood tall and proud, surrounded by Maliwan troops who were trained to the peak of perfection. Rhys and Jack both glared between the Maliwan CEO and the group of soldiers who had their rifles trained on Jack's whimpering excuse for a daughter. _They_ were backed by undoubtedly poorly-equipped Atlas-Hyperion soldiers. If one could even call them that, what with how poorly trained the ones he'd already faced were. He would laugh at them right in their faces, those stupid CEOs, if he were feeling particularly unkind today. No, no. Today, he was feeling _compassionate._ He would spare their lives and that was more than he was _ever_ usually open to do. He _was_ getting a Vault Key, after all.

 

Granted, the same couldn't be said for Angel, but sadly wars _did_ always come with a price. The image of her dying in her father's arms, after Katagawa signalled his snipers, was almost too much to bear, God bless. He slowly slid his eyes to the trembling girl beside him. Shame, really. She was quite the innocent little miracle. No doubt her Siren friends would come to save her, or try to at least. It was another shame then, for them, that he had placed Siren suppressant burners around the perimeter. Their powers would be near - if not completely - useless with the technology that Penny had so _kindly_ helped to develop back when she had been his closest ally. He really did have a lot to thank her for. But all that was by-the-by. Katagawa had to open that damn Vault first before he could fully enjoy his successes. 

 

"Shall we just get this over with then?" he sneered, gesturing towards the Vault door that was set into the rock face. "I think we can all agree that there need be no awful acts of _violence_ here. After all, we're all _genial_ people coming together to work towards a common goal!" His voice dropped low and his smile dwindled. "Getting what we _want_."

"You want the key?" Jack growled, smacking a box in his hand before planting it on the floor. "Come and get it. But first?  Give me back my damn daughter." His words spilled through gritted teeth, and the fact that Katagawa had Handsome Jack by the balls was _mouthwatering._

"Ah ah ah!" Katagawa replied, chuckling and waggling his finger. "You think I'm a fool? No. Now, let's see…" He took a step forward, tapping his finger on his lips while thinking. "First, you’re going to put that key in the ground and show me it's everything you claim it to be. _Then_ I'll hand over your...uh…" He pointed lazily back at Angel.  "... _freak_."

It was _fantastic_ seeing Rhys grab for Jack to hold him back. Jack swore and screamed at him but Katagawa barely heard it. What he was focused on was the box by his feet. The box that held _everything_ he'd dreamed of and more. _Immortality._ The word sang like heavenly music in his head. 

"You want proof of purchase?" Rhys snapped, letting go of Jack and kicking the box open. A shimmering Vault key greeted Katagawa's wide eyes and growing smile. "Here." Rhys bent down and picked it up in such a way it made Katagawa suck in a breath. He grabbed at it like it was nothing, like it was some toy or everyday item; nothing like the powerful artefact it was. 

 

Katagawa would be sure to treat his Vault with _respect_. 

 

Rhys marched over to a marked area on the ground and placed the key into the hole there. 

"You want the Vault all for yourself, Katagawa?" Rhys announced at a sudden, ridiculous volume, voice echoing around the mountain pass. "You want to apprehend us and force our hands just to gain its power and reap the benefits of the Pandoran Guardians?" He was still goddamn shouting. What an imbecile. Rhys placed his foot on the Key and pressed down, slotting it into place. His eyes were narrow and his lips were curled in a snarl. "You really want that? Be my _guest._ "

Katagawa's heart raced as the once empty door all of a sudden filled with colours akin to that of a galaxy, swirling and twirling amongst one another with the beauty and grace of nothing Katagawa had ever seen. He took another step, hand outstretched.

"My _daughter,_ " Jack demanded, snapping Katagawa out of his reverie. Rolling his eyes, Katagawa grabbed at Angel's shirt sleeve. 

"Jack!" came a female voice from his right. He snapped his head around to see two women approaching, one with red hair and one with blue. "Jack, we tried to get here sooner. This area is a no-go for Sirens." The red head flashed her arm. "See? No tattoos." Her eyes found Katagawa. "I reckon _he's_ our problem."

"He's everyone's fucking problem," Jack replied, glaring, which made Katagawa laugh under his breath.

"Sorry, ladies, you missed what could have been quite the show,” Katagwa chuckled. “But these two _good_ boys complied and now they get their kiddie back without a fuss. See?" He patted Angel's head. She swore at him but he ignored it. "No harm done." 

With that, he dragged her by the sleeve, his men still pointing their guns at her and following close behind. They stalked through Jack, Rhys, their soldiers and the Sirens all the way to the Vault entrance where Katagawa took a deep breath, almost _tasting_ his victory. 

"Well, it's been a real pleasure," he chortled, releasing Angel from his grasp and placing his hands on his hips. He watched the girl scarper towards her father and watched his snipers peer over the ridge behind them all. He smirked and raised his hand as if to wave. Rhys was quick, the smart man, and snapped his head around to see the men above. 

"Angel!" he screeched, leaping towards her. 

 

_Bang._

 

The shot fired. Katagawa couldn't really care less if Rhys took the bullet because then Jack would _still_ get the punishment he deserved for being such an asshole all these years. The daughter had just seemed like the option that cut far more deeply. However, when the bullet zipped through Rhys' chest as he threw himself in front of Angel, it was a damn shame because the Atlas CEO was something truly remarkable, it had to be said. It was sad, really, that Rhys' immortality would now be cut even shorter than the average human lifespan. 

 

Boo hoo. 

  
  


Katagawa wouldn't be crying over it.

  
  
  


...What Katagawa _hadn't_ been expecting were the enormous, knowing grins that Jack and Rhys suddenly wore despite the blood spatter on the floor and the bullet hole in Rhys' chest. They both looked at each other, then looked to Katagawa. Katagawa had been expecting guns to be raised...shots to be fired… He’d planned to step backwards into the Vault to avoid their fire...but…

 

There was nothing. 

 

"Don't worry, Angel," Jack cooed as his daughter panicked, hands covered in Rhys' blood as she tried to stem the flow. Jack bent down, whispering something in Angel's ear. As he spoke, colour returned to her pale face and a grin spread on _her_ lips. Katagawa took a step back.

 

...W..w...what was happening?

 

His men cocked their guns as Angel helped Rhys drag himself to his feet, breathing almost nonexistent due to a completely shot out lung, no doubt. Blood spilt like a river from the wound but he was grinning madly; it was like something from a horror film and Katagawa didn't like it. 

 

Something….

 

Something told him that…

  
  
  
  


That he'd been played. 

  
  
  
  


His face numbed and he took another step back but bumped into something solid and ice-cold.

 

A shudder ran down his spine. 

 

He went to turn, but a large, long-fingered, ghostly hand came to rest on his shoulder. 

"So it is you who seeks our power," whatever it was said, it's voice somehow a thousand voices all at once. A dozen gasps erupted around him and he finally unfroze, spinning around. 

  
  
  


He screamed. 

 

*

 

Rhys' world was growing fainter by the second but he forced himself to stay awake long enough - to be _focused_ long enough - to see what happened next. He couldn’t miss this. The Vault Guardians suddenly appeared behind each poised Maliwan soldier and they broke their necks simultaneously before the soldiers even knew they were there. His Guardian - the one from the very beginning of it all - snatched Katagawa by the throat and held him high. 

"The last one to seek our power for himself faced a very... _unfortunate_ end," it explained, black eyes finding Jack's, whose arms held Rhys upright. Katagawa fought, writhing and gripping at the Guardian's hand to no avail. "He lost a lover, lost all hope, and then lost his life to death itself. True, we didn't account for the immortality...but that's...how do you say... _by-the-by._ " It grinned. "We had a deal, in the end. They were going to destroy this Key for us. But then, it seems, _you_ got  in their _way._ " Katagawa made a strangled sound in his throat. "And, you see, _that_ Vault Hunter has something you'll _never_ have which is why we trusted the Key would always find its way back home. Do you want to know why we trusted that Vault Hunter?" It then grabbed the back of Katagawa's neck with its other hand and shoved him around to face Jack. The man’s face was almost as white as the Guardian itself. It brought its lips to his ear. 

 

" _That_ Vault Hunter has something bigger than _power_ to fight for." 

 

With that, it held Katagawa aloft and nodded at Jack, who raised his gun high. Katagawa squealed, desperate in his attempt to escape. Rhys, black entering his vision, managed to throw up the middle finger on his new hand, just to add salt to the wound, and cough out some final words as the sound of an explosion erupted in the distance. 

"Eat _shit_ , Katagawa." The explosion was so perfectly timed and had been just the sound he had been waiting for since clicking his ECHO to send that one, important message to Vaughn and Vallory. 

"That's the sound of the Maliwan HQ being blown to smithereens by bandits _, Kitty Kat,_ " Jack sneered. "But don't worry. We evacuated the premises. The bandits gave your people a choice: leave with their lives or fight back and die trying. You didn't hear about it cos... _oh_ ...we set up some jamming equipment that specifically targeted Maliwan-branded ECHOs. I _did_ mention once that creating those was an egotistically bad move...remember?" Somewhere far away, Jack’s gun cocked. Rhys could barely see now. "Oh, well. It seems idiots _never_ learn. Nighty night, _kiddo._ Don't let the Guardians bite."

Rhys closed his eyes. The last two things he heard were the following gunshot and then the thump of a body hitting the floor. As he lost the ability to stand and collapsed back into Jack's solid form, a smirk was still plastered on his lips. 

 

*

 

The shot echoed around the pass. Jack lowered his gun and sank to the ground with Rhys in his arms as the Guardian dropped Katagawa's body in the dust.  

Jack's eyes immediately fell to Rhys, whose pale lips and limp form told him what he already knew. 

 

...He was getting way too used to Rhys dying in his arms. 

 

Though, he supposed, he would have to get used to it if they were going to keep it up for centuries. He almost chuckled to himself as he laid Rhys down gently and closed the man’s eyes, because what was his life if not a massive joke? 

"...Papa?" 

Jack's focus shot to Angel, who stood above him, staring down at Rhys with her eyes brimming. Jack was back on his feet in an instant, wrapping her into his arms. 

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry all this happened to you."

Her voice muffled against his chest until she turned her head up to gaze at him. He stroked a finger across the bruising on her cheek.

"It doesn't matter about me. You're certain Rhys will come back?"

Jack nodded before snatching the ECHO from his belt, still clutching Angel against him. It buzzed a few times before connecting. 

_"Jack-"_

_"_ Nakayama, you got information?"

"... _Yes. Yes. I've been monitoring the bodies like you asked and, oh ho, I'm actually very pleased to say I've developed a way to detect the next one you'll both enter. So I had the two future bodies, one of each, brought to the Atlas HQ and got them comfortable just in case. I assume you still want me to keep them sedated until-"_

"Yeah! Yeah, yeah. Don't uh, don't wake him up till I'm there. Keep _me_ on ice." Jack's eyes flicked up to the Guardian that now waited alone, hovering over the Vault Key that still glowed in the ground. Jack ground his teeth. "We can't assume I'm out of hot water just yet."

_"Very well, sir."_

Jack ended the call. He kissed the top of Angel's head and looked to Lilith and Maya. 

"Take her home."

"No!" Angel cried suddenly, pushing herself away. "No, I need to save Penny!"

Something sharp curled in Jack's chest. He narrowed his eyes. His hand shot out and grabbed Angel's arm.

"No way! You think I'll let you go and-"

Angel tugged herself from his grip. "Shut _up_ , Jack!" Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Penny isn't what you think. She was...he's been...torturing her... _controlling_ her… Just like he was going to do to me if you didn't comply." Angel squeezed her eyes shut before raising her voice. "She's on our side! You _have_ to let me save her!"

Eyes flying open, her hands glowed white and her stance turned aggressive. Whatever Siren voodoo Katagawa had put into place must have been wearing off. Jack frowned massively. 

"Look, okay, I'll accept that you think she's worth saving. But don't you _dare_ pull that Siren shit on me, Angel. I won't stand-"

"Jack," Lilith interjected, stepping in. "It's not her fault. It's the connection we Sirens have. It's beyond human connection...it's something more spiritual and powerful. We're only ever six at a time. We're a very rare breed. The will to protect one another…" Lilith paused for a moment. "It can be overwhelming." She placed her hand on Angel's shoulder and they both glowed until Angel's breathing steadied. Lilith peered around. "Looks like whatever Katagawa was using to keep us grounded has worn off. And by the looks of it, his troops are retreating." She gestured up at the place above them where the snipers had been. "The three of us will go and save Penny. _You_ need to…” Her eyes fell to Rhys. “I mean...you sure don’t seem cut up about…”

“He’ll be fine,” Jack interjected, swallowing. He didn’t want to look at Rhys right now. “Just...leave it.” 

Lilith looked confused and concerned but shook herself and moved on. “Then I guess all that’s left is... _that._ ”

They all cast their eyes to the creature that was being frighteningly patient with them. Jack went to summon a nod, but was stopped by a voice that sent shivers down his spine.

"Your ability to fulfil your promise to us may be easier with those Sirens, Jack," the Guardian said, drifting towards them all. “It will take a great deal of manpower to destroy the Key, but three Sirens?" It grinned, its sharp teeth flashing. "It doesn't stand a chance."

"You want us to _destroy_ the Key?" Maya voiced, letting her hood drop back. "What for?"

The Guardian sighed. "We never wanted to set foot on the outskirts of our domain. Our world is _within_ Pandora and the Vaults allow human life to taint our inner sanctum. One less Vault gives humanity less of a chance to encroach upon our way of life." It turned to Jack. "The sooner you destroy this Key, the sooner your bodies and futures will be set in stone. Rhys and yourself will be set apart from us forever."

Jack mustered his nod and guided them all over to the Key in the ground. They each stood around it, staring down at the glowing object apprehensively. 

Lilith knelt down and placed her hand on the Key. Her tattoos shone with more colour than Jack had ever seen. He stumbled back as Lilith's wings erupted from her back. Maya knelt and did the same. 

"Use what you have been gifted wisely, Jack." The hint of warning echoed in the Guardian's words. It drifted back to the Vault door. "Don't forget how easy it can be to lose sight of what is _most_ important." Its gaze flickered from Rhys to Angel, who also knelt as the Guardian disappeared into the swirling chasm of the Vault's entrance. Jack’s daughter's wings shot into existence, and Jack's vision was consumed by a blinding light. 

When the light ebbed away, the Vault door was cracked and empty, and the Key lay in pieces on the floor. A weight that had been settled on Jack's shoulders, that he hadn’t even realised he’d been feeling, suddenly lifted as the sun burst through the clouds above and he smirked, allowing its warmth to consume him.

 

After everything that Jack and Rhys had been through, their future finally, _finally_ shone bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello!!! Comments = Ecstatic Loki. Please drop by the comment section even if you're a guest cos it genuinely makes my entire day/week/month. 
> 
> Love love love, everyone. This fic is near its end, so tell me what you want to see for Jack and Rhys and perhaps other characters :) xxx


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI HI HI 
> 
> ENJOY
> 
> IM PLEASED
> 
> ITS CUTE
> 
> GAH
> 
> (Also, apologies if I haven't replied to your comment - I have been swamped at work and it's the one thing I haven't been able to do. I endeavour to reply to any that are left from this point on!!! All comments are ALWAYS so so so appreciated xxx)

_"And R &D is now one hundred percent clear on the protocol for animal testing? Because, Eliza, I don't want a repeat of last week _ ever _again."_

_Eliza nodded, furiously scribbling down in the new notepad that Rhys had bought her. Tears burned visibly in the corners of her eyes and Rhys found himself sighing deeply._

_Atlas had only been running for a few weeks as a re-established company when his new PA  "forgot" to send through the finalised Ethical Practice documentation to the R &D department. The cock-up had almost cost Rhys a damning visit from the  'Animal Rights Division' and there wasn't a soul who kept Pandoran fauna that hadn't heard frightening tales of the division's leader, FL4K. They apparently held animals to a higher regard than they did humans, and they didn't hold back bringing people to task for their mistreatment, meaning it would have been Rhys' head on the chopping block had they not fixed their issues as quickly as they had.  _

_Rhys knew that Handsome Jack would have obliterated Eliza for her near company-wrecking idiocy. Rhys was determined not to be anything like the man as CEO of Atlas, so first gave her a chance to prove herself again before he presented too harsh a punishment. True, he'd screamed at her in the moment, and - true - it had been in front of the entire R &D department, but a few tears of shame and a knock to her reputation for being unreliable? That certainly beat being blasted out of an airlock, so Rhys thought she should be grateful for that at least.  _

_"Good," he finally replied, stopping to watch a group of people laughing from his position above them on the bridge. The Atlas employees pushed each other playfully, making Rhys smile because it reminded him so much of himself and Vaughn. Resting his head in his hand, his mind drifted back to their first day at Hyperion. They had been so_ pumped, _in disbelief that they both finally had ID which proved they'd earned their way to working for the biggest company in the six galaxies. Rhys smirked._

 

_Hyperion wouldn't be keeping that title for long._

 

_He was drawn out of his reverie when he heard a small commotion below. Blinking, he saw that his employees were now pointing up at him. As they made eye contact, they waved and saluted up at him, which warmed Rhys' heart something silly. He couldn't help the grin that broke out on his face as he saluted back._

_"Your two o'clock just cancelled, sir," Eliza piped up, ruining the moment with her annoying news and voice. Rhys rolled his eyes, deciding he would definitely be finding somewhere else in the company to deploy her rather than here, plastered to his side. He could surely find a new PA whose voice didn't grind its way into his eardrums the way Eliza's did._

_"Oh," was all he groaned in return as they continued on their way. They walked for a while, Rhys following Eliza as she prattled on about his timetable. They entered the plaza, which was coming along nicely, and Rhys noted how well the grass was growing._

_"Your office should be finished tomorrow," was something that finally caught his attention. He stopped, one eyebrow high._

_"Tomorrow? But that's two weeks ahead of schedule."_

_"The shipments of wood from Rayvar came in early and the builders decided to get it organised sooner, I guess?" Eliza paused. Rhys grimaced. She 'guessed'?! "But I can get the design team in to check it's done to the best of the builders' abilities if you-"_

_She was silenced as Rhys' hand came up. "That'll be all, Eliza. Thanks."_

_He began to walk away and winced at her voice._

_"But sir-"_

_He span around, eyes closed and fingers pressed tightly together._

_"Eliza! Oh my_ god _! Go talk to Programming and find out why they cancelled. I'll see you in my office in half an hour."_

_His sharp tone and lowered eyebrows had her eating her words and spinning on her heel, finally leaving him in peace._

 

_*_

 

 _When he reached his office -_ his _office_!!!!! - _there were two builders chatting and laughing and eating their lunch on the bench outside._

_"Alright, bossman?" one chirped, raising his flask before settling it back down against his knee. "You're gonna love what we've done with the place!"_

_"Yeah, yeah!"  the other added - a man who Rhys had noticed a few times before - with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He offered Rhys a wink. He always offered Rhys a wink and god, did it do things to Rhys. "It's  mighty pretty, so it'll suit ya down to the ground I reckon." His Irish accent - coupled with the wink and his handsome face and perfect blond hair - had Rhys weak at the knees. "I can show ya around, if ya want? I'm all outta lunch anyways." He stood, and Rhys very much appreciated how he was a little taller than him; not a lot of men were. Rhys also appreciated how he had, somehow, managed to keep his cool in the presence of such a man and merely nodded as the buildrr led him through the huge, black doors. As they stepped inside, Rhys gasped._

_It looked even bigger than usual somehow, and everything was pristine besides some tools scattered around the room and a few piles of leftover floor tiles._

_"As ya can see, everywhere is finished to the highest of standards." The man ushered him over to the cabinets and mirrors on the left wall. His hand remained on the small of Rhys' back as he continued speaking. Rhys chewed his lip and smiled. "Sleek, modern finishes everywhere. The Rayvarian wood was a perfect choice, feller. Real gorgeous, like." He ran the fingers of his free hand along panel and smiled somewhat absentmindedly._

_"It's a part of my home," Rhys mused, his hand coming to rest on the wood also. "Rayvar's trees are as dark as a midnight sky…" He smiled again as he reminisced. The builder looked at him with warmth in his eyes, listening intently as the hand on Rhys' back fell away slowly. "People don't know much about my planet," Rhys continued, nails tracing the grain. "It's a tiny place with a population of less than a few hundred million, but I'll be damned if it isn't the prettiest place in all six galaxies." His eyes found the builder's. "Having a part of it here means I can still appreciate it and remember where I came from, even if from a distance."_

_"A Rayvar native, ya say?" the Irishman exclaimed, but softly. "Can't say I've met many of ya in these parts."_

_Rhys gazed around the office. "We aren't encouraged to look at worlds beyond our own on Rayvar. I don't know of any other Rayvarians who have come anywhere close to what I have achieved."_

_Suddenly, the man leaned in, making Rhys' breath falter and his eyes grow wide._

_"Can I let ya in on a little secret?" he asked with a somewhat cheeky grin and another wink. "Not many people, from anywhere, have achieved what you've achieved. Even those who fight tooth and nail for it."_

_"Oh," and a blush was all Rhys replied with, leaving him feeling foolish and like an infatuated schoolgirl. The man seemed not to notice. Rhys hoped he hadn't noticed._

_"You must be somethin' of a livin' legend to your people then.  That and you're somethin' of an exotic breed here. Aye, an enigma wherever ya go, it seems, Mr. Rhys Strongfork."_

_Rhys hated how the deeper blush that bloomed on his cheeks was so obvious. The man's lips quirked up in a wider smile as his eyes searched Rhys' face._

_"But, ah, I must stop babblin' on." He leaned in again. Rhys' breath caught in his throat. "Let me show ya the best part," he purred, inches from Rhys' ear. Before Rhys could reply, a hand was round his wrist and pulling him over to the black wall behind the desk. It was tilted at an angle. The builder grinned (Rhys very much liked his smile) and let go, hurrying over to a set of buttons at the side. He pressed one and took a step back._

_Rhys heard pistons releasing pressure and watched in awe at the way the wall separated in the centre to reveal a huge window that looked out over the glistening ocean._

_"A view fit for a king," the builder mused, moving over to stand beside Rhys. Their shoulders brushed. "Quite a beauty, don't ya think?"_

_"Mmm," was all Rhys hummed in his throat. It sure was a view for a king alright, because he had no doubt in his mind that Atlas would leave Hyperion - the current king - behind it, buried in the dirt, as soon as Atlas picked up enough traction. Rhys would be king of Pandora, oh Handsome goddamn Jack could be sure of that. He imagined how Jack must be feeling, watching Atlas claw its way back from the graveyard with Rhys at the helm. He imagined how Jack must hate that his own selfish behaviour caused Rhys to leave Hyperion and rally against him. He imagined Jack's face if he saw this room. He imagined how impressed he'd be and how he'd try to hide it behind a scowl and a fold of his arms and some snarky comment. He imagined how...Rhys licked his lips...he imagined how Jack would finally own up to his stupid feelings and kiss Rhys up against his desk, touching him and unzipping his pants and calling him 'Atlas' and-_

_"Sir?"_

_Rhys froze. His pants were now ridiculously tight and his face was, he assumed, as red as a tomato once again. Why couldn't he get that stupid prick out of his head? Why was Handsome Jack still landing him in shitty situations even when he wasn't actually here?_

 

_Rhys closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them and slowly slid them to find the builder's, he found he was staring directly at his crotch._

_"I could...help with that," the man muttered gruffly, so quiet that Rhys almost missed it. A hot sensation curled its way up his neck, his breath quickening._

 

_Well._

 

 _He supposed it would be_ one _way to get Jack out of his head._

 

_Relaxing himself and rolling his shoulders, Rhys pushed a level of confidence into his face and into his posture that he was honestly extremely proud of._

_"What did you say your name was?" he asked, voice low, as his advance backed the man towards the desk._

_"I, uh, didn't," the pretty man replied with a nervous chuckle. Rhys_ really _like the way he spoke. The man bumped into the large black desk and he braced himself with his hands shooting back to grip it. "It's Zane. My name. My name...is….Zane….Flynt." His fumbling words had Rhys smirking as he rested his hands on Zane's hips. He pressed his crotch against Zane's, loving how he could feel his hardness pressing against his own. Rhys licked his lips._

 _"And you say_ you _can help_ me _?" He blinked his eyelashes slow. "Seems as though you need a helping hand of your own." Rhys' hand found Zane's dick and he palmed him through his paint-splattered jeans. He pressed his lips to the man's ear. "What's someone as hot as you doing as a damn builder?"_

_Zane groaned and sat back slightly against the desk. Rhys leaned back and ran a hand down his chest. Zane watched it go._

_"Heh, I'm actually a merc for hire. I just do building work when I don't have any other jobs lined up. My, uh, brother runs the company." He shrugged. "So I get work whenever I need it."_

_Rhys raised his eyebrow. A mercenary? He took a step back to admire him. Sure, Zane was a little pink on his cheeks but he held himself well, like someone who had to remain on top of their game for a living._

 

_Like a mercenary._

 

_When he folded his arms and smirked at Rhys, the CEO's cock twitched. For a moment, he looked just like..._

_"Perhaps I can offer you some work," Rhys suggested coyly, stepping back between Zane's legs and running another finger down his chest, this time under his t-shirt. "...Aside from the obvious, I mean."_

_Zane chuckled, his hands finding Rhys' sides. He looked at Rhys with something very much like mischief in his one good eye. Suddenly, he yanked Rhys impossibly closer and one hand was on Rhys' face, a thumb tracing over his lips, making Rhys' eyes roll back a little._

_"Ya suggestin' that, uh, ya would be hard work?" He clicked his tongue and winked_ again. _Rhys swallowed thickly. That_ wink. _"Nah, can't possibly imagine that, ya gorgeous, gorgeous thing."_

_Without a second thought, Rhys grabbed the back of Zane's head and neck with his hands and kissed him deep and passionate, closing his eyes and loving the feeling of two large hands now kneading into his ass._

 

_…Jack's hands, if he imagined it._

 

 _Jack's_ mouth, _if he let his imagination run a little further._

 

_"Oh yeah, it'll be hard work. It'll leave you sweating something awful, Handsome" Rhys purred, keeping his eyes closed to not ruin where his mind was taking him. Jack, bringing his hands to Rhys' cheeks, pulling him close. Jack, going for Rhys' shirt buttons._

_But it wasn't Jack's voice that spoke against his lips. Rhys hated the way his heart dropped… The voice was Irish and dulcet and new. He couldn't even kiss another man without…without…_

 

Him _._

 

_He hated that he wanted Jack still. After everything the horrible prick had put him through. Months of work...all that hard work...and those moments...of…..moments together….and Jack had...swept him aside like he'd meant nothing._

_But yet here Rhys still was, pining like a weak, pathetic moron even in the arms of anothwr. The voice wasn't the voice Rhys wanted to hear. The hands on his face were too rough and calloused. The cologne was too sweet to be… to be…_

_The doors at the end of the room opened. Rhys swiftly stepped back, eyeing Eliza who had stopped, as still as a statue, halfway to the desk._

_"Oh!" she squeaked, hand flying to her mouth. "I'm so sorry!"_

_"It's alright, Eliza," Rhys sighed, keeping his eyes from Zane's. In the corner of his eye, however, he could see Zane was red and shifting about slightly awkwardly. "This gentleman was just leaving… He and I-"_

_"-we were just discussing the beauty we find in the things that we love and cherish," Zane finished, smiling, finally standing tall. "I'll be seein' ya then, Mr. Rhys Strongfork." With that, Zane gave him a grin and a wink, and made his way past Eliza and out of the door. Rhys swallowed._

_He desperately wanted to yearn for the man walking away. He was undoubtedly dangerous, stunning, smart and charming; everything Rhys knew he wanted. But instead, he despised that he yearned for the fact that he could no longer close his eyes and use Zane as a way to imagine Jack. He felt stupid and foolish and caught up in a web of crap that he didn't deserve._

 

 _He and Jack would_ never _be._

 

_He needed to stop hoping it could ever be a possibility._

 

 _No. He needed to stop thinking it_ should _be a possibility._

 

_Handsome Jack didn't have the capability of being a man in love._

 

 _He would_ never _like Rhys like that._

 

 _But_ Zane _was here_ now. _He was pretty and lovely and he'd showed Rhys that he liked him… Perhaps Rhys could… Maybe this was his chance to…_

  


_Perhaps - through Zane - Rhys could finally move on._

 

_*_

 

_"Merc work," Zane's brother had explained the following day when Rhys had, as casually as he could, asked after him when he wasn't there working on finishing his office. Apparently, the job was intense and had taken Zane to the edge of the farthest known galaxy, meaning he wouldn't be back for a very long time. Rhys' sweaty palms, pounding heart and swelling emotions were the final straw. He ordered them to leave him, to leave the office, and when he was finally alone, he sucked in a deep breath and sank into his chair with a stifled sob._

_Zane had been his_ out _; his way to finally leave Jack behind and move on to someone who would most probably treat him a hell of a lot better. He sniffed, frowned and buried his head in his arms._

_Wasn't he strong enough to do it on his own? Wasn't he smart enough and brave enough to suck it all up and finally get it through his thick, dumb skull that he and Jack would never happen? Should never happen? Lifting his head, resting his chin on his arms instead, he closed his eyes, mind whirring._

 

_Or maybe…_

 

 _Maybe he just needed to channel his anguish over what Jack had done to him back at Hyperion into something much more tangible. Maybe he just needed to really, really shove Atlas down Jack's throat until he gagged on it. Maybe laugh while he did it. Show him where his actions sent Rhys and how his denial caused_ this _to be a reality._

 

_This new reality of Jack choking on the dust Rhys left behind him as he swept him aside._

 

_He needed Jack to see him. To see Atlas in all of its new glory._

 

 _He'd shove it in his face so hard it would leave the biggest dent in Jack's stupid ego and_ everyone _would see it._

 

_Rhys sat back in his chair and grinned to himself as he brought up his palm holo. He wrote up a carefully-worded invitation to one 'Handsome Jack' and sent it, only breathing when he settled back into the soft black and red leather._

 

_Yes._

 

_It was finally time to leave Handsome Jack in the dirt, behind him, for good._

  


*

 

Rhys stirred slowly. He ached from head to toe, something familiar in the way his body vibrated with dull pain. He groaned, his throat thick and his head fuzzy. He struggled in sitting up, hands going straight for his temples when he finally managed to get into an upright position. Other hands, that weren't his own, suddenly held him firm enough to keep him steady. He blinked, trying to find out where he was and who was- 

"Easy, Rhysie. _Easy_." 

"Nghh…J-Jack?" 

"Shhh...don't talk. Take your time." 

Rhys' blurry vision finally settled and his eyes found Jack's - warm and _there_ \- watching over him. There was caution in them and a fear that told him Jack thought he might break at any moment. Rhys laid back in bed and his hand came up, brushing along Jack's jaw as a smile spread across his dry lips. 

 

 _Jack. His_ Jack.

 

"Hey, Handsome," he murmured softly, heart swelling with happiness.

"Hey," Jack replied, smile widening. He leaned over and kissed Rhys sweetly. He traced his thumb down Rhys' cheek, Rhys leaning into the touch, as he sat back down in the chair beside the bed. As the haze of happiness subsided slightly, Rhys finally glanced about in surprise. 

"How am I not... in the pod…?" He was in a hospital bed and in a hospital gown, which was very strange, and it made him feel quite sure that he was dreaming. "Also, why is it always me who keeps dying?" he muttered to himself, rolling his eyes.

Jack only chuckled under his breath, moving to sit beside Rhys on the bed. He took Rhys' hand in his own.

"Nakayama, the clever little asshole, managed to use some kind of, I dunno, " _thing_ " to locate your next body when we were at the Vault site while he was keeping an eye on any... _body counts._ Heh." Fingers stroked Rhys' hair back and out of his face. "But yeah, he managed to pinpoint where you'd come out and he just popped you in here, hooked you up to some machines and...ta da! A much comfier way to rejoin the land of the living, right babe?"

Rhys' head hurt. He kind of wished he hadn't asked. "It would be comfier but...you...talk a lot…and my brain still feels like mush." Jack threw his head back and laughed heartily, patting Rhys on the leg.  "How long was I out?"

"A few hours. But as soon as I got back to Atlas, I came straight here and woke you up." He rubbed the back of his neck, catching Rhys' eye. "Kat's dead, babe. Guardian held him up for me to shoot him through the eye socket. Weirdly arousing, not gonna lie. Ha."

Rhys pushed himself up, suddenly realising something. "And the Key!?"

Jack's grin grew impossibly wider. He leaned in as his mouth let out the one word Rhys was waiting on:  "Gone."

Warmth spread through every inch of Rhys. His heart stopped. "That means…"

"It _means_ that this Handsome face is yours forever." Jack winked, then leaned in and placed his lips against Rhys' forehead. "And yours is _mine_. Oh! That reminds me." He sat back and dug about in his pocket before brandishing the ring he'd given Rhys when he'd asked him to marry him. Rhys blinked at it before breaking out a beaming smile. "Gonna be chasing this thing for centuries, I reckon," Jack mused with a somewhat shy smirk as he slid it onto Rhys' finger. "Shame it doesn't grow back with the rest of you."

He kissed Rhys' knuckles and they merely gazed at one another for a moment before Rhys couldn't contain his emotions any longer and threw himself off of the bed despite his aches and pains. Jack said something, Rhys didn't hear or care quite what, because his main aim was to kiss Jack senseless. When he slid into Jack's lap, legs either side of him, he succeeded in his mission. Jack only managed to muster some semblance of speech when he patted Rhys' bare ass and laughed.

"If someone walks through those doors, kitten, you're gonna give 'em quite the view in that hospital get-up."

"Then take me _home_ , Jack," he whined. He kissed up Jack's jaw and bit at his earlobe. "I'm _tired_ of the _bullshit_ life has thrown at us. I want us...to just _be_. For a while. Just us is all I've _ever_ wanted."

 

*

 

When they collapsed in bed with one another in their Atlas apartment, they stayed there for hours. No questions about the past, no discussions about anything other than how much they loved one another and wedding plans because, they decided, time was not to be wasted. They set a date - two weeks away. They made love over and over, not a care in the world, until Jack received an ECHO call from Angel whilst they were catching their breath after the third time. They hurriedly threw on some clothes, launched themselves into the living room and accepted the call from the couch, panting a little and fixing their hair.

"Rhys!" she cried out with joy when she spied him propped up beside her father. "Oh my god!!! It's so good to see you...well… _alive!_ "

"You and me both, Angel," he chuckled. "I'm a bit done with death for now."

"I hope so," she commented with a sincere smile before looking more seriously at Jack. "We managed to get her out but she's in a bad way, Dad. Real bad. We're enroute back to the monastery and Maya's concerned she won't make it."

"Who-"

"Penny," Jack snarled, lip curled. Rhys balked.

"Penny? What? But she betrayed us! Why the _hell-"_

“She did, at first,” Angel explained, cutting off her father as he opened his mouth to reply. “But, Rhys, she’s pretty much always been on your side since she learned that Maliwan was the true evil. Why do you think Maliwan never got ahead of Atlas in important, dangerous ways? It was because she sent false intel back to _protect_ you. When she tried to kill my Dad with that shuttle bomb, you _weren’t_ supposed to be there. For Katagawa, it was a very happy accident. For her, it broke her heart thinking that you were dead because of her. She did everything in her power to keep you both safe when you really _did_ die, Rhys. She’s a good person. Now, at least.” 

It was all still shit to hear; Rhys had hired someone who could have made things so much worse. Thankfully, she hadn’t...but...still…

“I want her to be placed in a cell until I can speak with her,” he began, taking the ECHO from Jack. Angel lowered her eyebrows dangerously. “After she’s recovered, of course! But I want to talk. She owes me some explanations. Surely you can understand that.” 

Quiet for a moment, Angel seemed to mull over his proposal. Eventually, she took a deep breath. 

“Fine. I can understand that.”

“We can place her in containment on some of those suppressants we swiped from Maliwan,” came a voice from somewhere off-screen. Angel glanced over her shoulder and nodded.  

“Yeah, sounds good. So-” She turned back and swept her hair from her eyes. “-I’ll let you know when we have her ready for questioning. I agree...there’s a lot of things you two need to talk about.”

“I should speak to Meg too,” Jack muttered, almost to himself. He blinked, then looked between Rhys and Angel. “She, uh, her and Penny are...were?....a thing? Sorry, I left that part out before.” 

“Oh,” Rhys said, somehow not surprised by the news. “I mean, you _were_ facing a choice between your daughter’s death and my death, so, yeah. I can see how that happened.” 

“Well, _shit_!” Jack burst out suddenly, making Rhys jump.  There was a whopping great grin on his face, which had Rhys raising an apprehensive eyebrow. “I guess I hadn’t even thought- oh, shit, fuck, haha!” 

“...Dad?”

“Jack?”

Rhys wondered if he’d be living the rest of his life having moments like this, trying to guess if Handsome Jack had finally snapped. 

“Rhys-” Jack near-shouted, grasping Rhys’ wrist and yanking his hand up to the camera. “-is no longer going to be a sad, lonely CEO bachelor who cries alone every night!”

“What-”

“We’re getting married, baby!”

The scream that erupted from the ECHO was almost ear-splitting. Rhys beamed because Jack was all of a sudden so _excited_ and it was _true,_ they _were_ getting married. Other than his parents, he reckoned that Angel was the first one to know. However, as Jack’s previous words sank in, his smile faltered. 

“Oh _my god_?! Finally?! I can’t believe it’s taken you idiots this long-”

“-Excuse me, I do _not_ cry alone every night-”

“- I wish I’d bashed your heads together years ago so you could have just dealt with your emotions sooner-”

“-and I was never _lonely,_ you _asshole-_ ”

“Two weeks!” Jack chirped, ignoring both of them. “Two weeks, and this ass is officially _mine_.” Off-camera, he grabbed a handful of Rhys’ butt and squeezed, grinning wolfishly at his fiancé. 

“Oh, gross. Okay. I’m gonna let you two have your...uh...time to... _celebrate_. But call me as soon as you can so that we can start planning!” She blew a kiss. “Congrats, guys. I love ya!” With that, the call ended and the screen went black. A few seconds of silence passed before Rhys threw himself into Jack lap and grabbed him by the scruff of his sweater. 

“ _Lonely, crying bachelor?”_ he snapped, smacking Jack on the arm playfully but with meaning. “How fucking rude?!” 

Jack cackled and clamped his hands onto Rhys’ ass, using his grip to push Rhys down against his crotch which was somehow hard _again._

“Oh, Rhysie, _baby_ , you know you don’t have to hide it anymore. Just admit that your boring life will be infinitely better now that I’ll be permanently in it.” The wink Jack gave him, alongside the shit-eating grin, had Rhys grabbing him by the hair on the back of his head and yanking him back so that Rhys towered above him on his knees. 

“Watch your mouth, _Jack_ . Or you’ll be looking at a millennium of misery, not happiness.” Rhys’ hand found Jack’s throat and he traced his fingers down it before clutching it just the right side of too hard. “Because if you _cross_ me or backstab me or turn against me in any way, I’ll spend the rest of my days _hunting you down_. And I’ll find numerous fun ways to bring you to task before I inevitably kill you.” 

“Oh, fucking hell-”

Rhys slapped a hand over Jack’s mouth.

“Do you remember when you tried to duplicate my weapons? And I poisoned you for it?” Jack nodded slowly, eyes rolling back a little as Rhys leaned closer, grinding down on him. “Then you know what I’m capable of, _don’t you,_ darling?” 

“Ohmygod,” Jack moaned against the palm of his hand, closing his eyes and sliding his own hands up Rhys’ sides. Rhys let go of his mouth and Jack took a deep breath. “You’re the sexiest little thing I’ve ever had in my damn lap and you’re all _mine_. God, Angel was right.” Jack tutted, groaning. “How was I such an idiot back when you worked for Hyperion?”

Rhys sat back and shrugged. “Beats me. Guess you’re just that. An idiot.” 

Jack groaned again and all of a sudden wrapped his hands around Rhys and lifted him up, holding him in his arms. The press of Jack’s dick against him was impossible to ignore.

“You’re keen to go again already?” Rhys asked in surprise, sliding his arms around Jack’s neck. “Bet you’re not used to having so much stamina after having been such an old man for so long.” 

He supposed he deserved the pinch on the ass that had him yelping and giggling. Jack didn’t speak, for once, as he pushed Rhys against the wall and looked him over contemplatively. Eventually, he sighed and rolled his eyes. 

“Am I gonna have to put up with lip from you forever?” 

“‘Fraid so.”

“...And I wouldn’t have ya any other way, kitten,” Jack laughed, kissing him. Rhys ran his hands through Jack’s hair, pressing their foreheads together. Could this be it? Their first step towards a long road of happiness? Could they really, maybe, last a millennium and make it work?

 

There was only one way to find out. 

  


“I love you,” he murmured softly, pushing every ounce of meaning into the three words he spoke.

“I love you too, Rhys," Jack whispered before he leaned back, grinning massively. "Now, let's go take our future by the goddamn balls, baby."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. I reckon there's one more chapter left in this baby and it'll take me a while to get it out cos I want it to be *chef's kiss* perfect for you all. 
> 
> There may be two chapters, depending on how the next one goes.
> 
> Just...we shall see hahaaaa
> 
> I'd love to know what you'd like to see at the end of the fic? Have I missed anything? Is there anything you want to see explored more? 
> 
> Lemme know :)


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm becoming more and more emotional with every word I write. This fic is in my BONES now, and it's become harder to accept that the next chapter is most definitely (like, 99.9%) the final chapter to this adventure. I can't believe that it's coming to an end. 
> 
> Just ignore me...over here...blubbering....
> 
> Enjoy, loves. Thanks for everything so far. It's been a dream xxxxxxx
> 
> This chapter is a culmination of smut, fluff and humour. All of my favourite things to write. ;_;

"Won't people…ngh...notice we're _, oh fuck,_ gone?" Rhys moaned as Jack lazily trailed his tongue around the head of his cock. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he gripped back at the desk for support. When Jack's teeth nipped at him suddenly, a gasp escaped him and his elbows weakened, causing him to slip down a little further. He yelped, however, when large, strong hands grabbed at his hips to firmly hold him upright. Jack's sucked him into his mouth and moaned as he did so, which was almost too much for Rhys 

" _J-aaaaack_ , people will get s-s-suspicious--- _ohh god, ohhh._ "

His brain was a little fuzzy from all the champagne he'd been drinking since ten in the morning and he didn't quite know how they had both ended up in some random employee's office. Not that he was complaining, of course. Handsome Jack was now his husband and had his wet, hot mouth all over him. No, this certainly wasn't something to be upset about.

"Almost every employee we have is here, kitten," Jack replied, sitting back on his heels but still stroking Rhys as he spoke. "It's packed. And people are too busy drowning in the free bar than worrying about where we've gotten to."

"But...my parents…"

Jack licked a line of saliva along his length and Rhys moaned before biting down hard on his bottom lip. 

"Last I saw of your folks, they were just as merry as the rest of 'em. Stop stressing _, babe_ , and lemme finish giving you your first Handsome Husbando blowie."

Rhys managed to frown down at him. "Don't say that ever, ever again."

"Or what?" Jack purred, pulling doe eyes as he took Rhys' wholly into his mouth. He sucked him for a few seconds before pulling off with a dramatic 'pop'. "You gonna punish me, Rhysie? Put your big, bad Handsome husband in his place even on your own wedding night?"

The wicked man didn't even give Rhys as chance to reply, because he consumed Rhys with all his might and power, taking him almost to the hilt and sucking for all his worth. One hand grabbed at Rhys' ass, nails probably drawing blood, whilst the other worked his balls and the base of his dick. Jack didn't let up or give an inch until he had tears in his eyes and Rhys was coming down his throat with a shout. 

" _Fuck_ ," Rhys eventually whined when his brain allowed him to speak, relaxing his body and slumping back against the desk. Jack only grinned, watching him and licking his lips. Catching his breath, Rhys noted the pride in Jack's eyes as they explored Rhys, most likely at how spent he looked. Rhys rolled his eyes. 

"Y'know, I used to think your mouth only did stupid things like talk and talk shit and talk too much of it." He grinned, chest rising and falling, as he stroked a hand through Jack's hair. "I'm the only person who can say that it _is_ actually good for something."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, kiddo, but yours isn't the first dick I've sucked," Jack grunted, climbing to his feet and wiping the back of his mouth on his sleeve. Rhys pulled up his suit pants and did the zipper. Their eyes met as the zip reached the top.

"It'll be the last, though." Rhys then made an obvious effort of admiring the ring on his finger. He then ran his fingers down Jack's face, smiling. "What you agreed to earlier today made sure of _that_."

"Oh, it _certainly_ did," Jack purred as he kissed Rhys slowly, making sure that Rhys tasted himself on Jack's tongue. His hands slid around Rhys' waist before tucking in the man's shirt and fixing his suit jacket. He broke the kiss - leaving Rhys reaching for more - to admire his husband. He ran his hands up Rhys' lapels. "Perfect. Love of my life in a sexy-ass suit, gagging for more of me? Yeah, I can live a millennium of that."

Rhys sighed and shook his head as they made their way out of the office and down the hall. 

"Reckon Vaughn's sober enough to do his speech yet?" Jack asked with a chuckle. Rhys grimaced. Vaughn had been so drunk during the meal that he'd fallen over upon getting up to speak and almost knocked himself unconscious. He'd promised Rhys he'd sober up enough to do it later in the evening. Rhys...had his doubts about that.

"You'd have thought that years of bandit liquor would've hardened him up a bit," Rhys muttered as they turned a corner, the music of their wedding party now audible in the distance. "But wine and beer? I swear he was never like that before. He'd always handle his alcohol way better than me. I was, and still am, a _massive_ lightweight-"

" _There_ you are!" came a voice from down the hall. Rhys glanced away from Jack to see Sasha emerge from the party room with a beaming, woozy grin on her face. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Rhys shot Jack a look. "I _told_ you."

Jack merely let out a laugh and shrugged.

"Fiona is _desperate_ to see you," Sasha continued, hurrying towards them and almost tripping over her own feet as she did so. "She needs to _explain_ herself." 

 

With that, she nodded to Jack, grabbed Rhys by the hand and dragged him back into the uproarious party. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time; even his Aunt Vallory had a slight smile on her lips as she observed the crowd from the corner of the room she had claimed. Rhys looked about and was pleased to see how so many people were smiling and dancing and waving at him as he passed. Sasha kept a tight grip on him until they reached the bar where Fiona sat, a guilty expression on her face. 

"Fiona," Rhys greeted with uncertainty, raising a worried eyebrow. "Why do you look like you accidentally shot someone's pet skag?" 

"I wanted to apologise!" she blurted out in a slurred rush. "Vaughn's _problem_ with his speech!" She closed her eyes and took a breath. "It was all my fault!" Rhys tutted and placed his hands on his hips. "I bet him he couldn't do five rakk bombs in one go and he...oh god." She buried her face in her hands as Rhys groaned into his own. "And he _did._ "

" _Fiona,_ for _god's_ sake _."_

"I know!" she squeaked, turning red. "I didn't think he'd actually do it! He's the best man!" She lowered her voice and frowned. "He should have known better."

Rhys opened his mouth, ready to give her a piece of his mind with an accusing finger already making his thoughts clear, when Jack's voice interrupted him. 

"Babe! Babe! I've got someone for you to meet!"

Rhys span, finger still pointing, and almost choked. 

 

Jack was making his way towards him, smiling giddily, with none other than _Zane Flynt_ at his side. 

 

*

 

Jack licked his lips as he watched Rhys and his pretty little ass dash off into the crowd with Sasha. That was _Jack's_ ass; the ass that he got to keep as his own forever. He looked down at the platinum ring on his finger and thumbed at it with a smile spreading across his face. He really couldn't remember a time where he'd been happier. He was well aware that wedding days were the cliché "happiest day of your life", but - honestly - he was on top of the world. As a fantastic bonus, Rhys looked ridiculously, insanely hot in a dark green suit that hugged every part of his figure, and Jack couldn't _not_ drag him off to suck his dick when he looked _that_ delicious. However, now that dick-sucking was done and he'd had Rhys writhing and screaming and coming down his throat, he was in desperate need of a stiff drink, so he made his way over to the bar. 

"Usual," he said as he approached the barkeep, who nodded and set about fulfilling his order. As he waited, Jack gazed around the party and smirked. Handsome Jack's wedding celebrations would be the talk of the century - no doubt about that. He couldn't have had it any other way, really. He'd ploughed so much money into this party that there was no chance that it couldn't have been a success. With a contented sigh, he settled back against the bar and, for most likely the first time in his life, Handsome Jack waited patiently for his drink. 

"...Jackie?" 

Jack's head snapped around towards the familiar voice, and his jaw dropped when he saw exactly who he'd been expecting from it. 

" _Flynt_?!" 

"Jackie!" Zane cheered, breaking out into a humongous grin and throwing his arms wide. "Congratulations!"

"How are you here?!" Jack asked, bewildered, as Zane slammed into him and hugged him tight. "Last I heard, you were off on some high-prize job for Wainwright Jakobs?"

"Aye, I was," Zane explained, taking Jack's untouched drink from the bar and downing it swiftly before thrusting the empty tumbler into the shocked man's hand. He bared his teeth as the burning liquor slid down his throat  "But when I heard my best mate was gettin' hitched, I just had to come see if that was true."

Jack couldn't quite find the words. He hadn't expected...hadn't ever _dreamed-_

"Stop gawkin' at me like a damned damsel in distress, Jackie," Zane chuckled. "I wouldn't miss ya weddin' for the world." He clapped Jack on the shoulder and pulled him in for another hug. "Who's the poor beggar who's been stuck with ya then?"

Jack's heart swiftly jumped and he beamed as he threw an arm around Zane's shoulders.

"Lemme introduce you. You'll _love_ him." With that, Jack guided him through the crowd, still shaking his head in disbelief. "Fuck, it's good to see you. It's been what...three years?"

"Give or take," Zane replied, swiping a beer from a stranger he passed. He brought it to his lips and took a swig. "The first job out there took me onto another and then to another. Been places ya would never be able to dream of, feller. Somethin' astoundin', has been my life these last few blianta." He paused. "Wait."

Jack stopped, looking at the Irishman. "What?"

"Ya face." Zane peered at him, even taking Jack's chin in his hand to examine him more closely. He turned him left and right, staring with his one good eye. "Ya face is that of a...twelve-year-old child. That's quite the new mask. How the hell'd ya get it lookin' so...real?"

At this, Jack couldn't stifle his laughter. He patted his own cheek. "Quality skin care, pal. That's all it is. _Night cream._ "

Zane raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Huh. Night cream, is it? On a mask?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll send you a sample." Jack continued laughing as he glanced about, hoping to catch sight of Rhys. He would explain everything to Zane later, including the fact that he no longer wore a mask and why.

"Tell me about this husband of yours," Zane asked, discarding his empty beer bottle in a trash can that they passed. "Must be a helluva guy to have tamed the one and only Handsome Jack."

"He's...well… I mean… Christ, he's hard to describe...oh! There he is, the sexy little thing." Jack raised his hand and pointed through the people around them to a table by another bar. Rhys was there, looking like he was having stern words with Fiona. He was _always_ at loggerheads with that one, it seemed. Zane followed the direction of his pointing hand and suddenly stilled beside him, obviously taken aback by Rhys' beauty.

 

Who wouldn't be?

 

"An... _enigma_ ….ya could say," Zane breathed, jaw dropping open slightly. Jack smirked.

"Oh, he's that alright. Babe!" he called out as they approached. "Babe! I've got someone for you to meet!" 

Rhys turned, looking cross, and met Jack's eyes before sliding them to Zane and slowly turning whiter and whiter, just as though he'd seen a ghost.

 

*

 

"Jack-" Rhys began, eyes darting between his husband and Zane. Zane. Zane _fucking_ Flynt. How the _hell_ did they know one another? Rhys was finding it rather hard to breathe, especially because Jack's eyes were narrow now. He was staring, stone-cold, between Zane and Rhys. 

"Someone wanna explain what the sudden tension's all about? You two assholes know each other?"

"Jackie, mate, there's really nothin'-"

"Jack, listen, nothing really happened-"

Jack folded his arms as the two men tried to fumble their way to both excuses and the truth. 

"Just _tell_ me, you damn idiots."

 

So Rhys did. He explained as carefully and as nicely as he could that he and Zane had shared an _...intimate_ moment. 

"So, you made out with my best friend?" Jack eventually asked with his eyebrow raised. 

"He's your best friend?" Rhys groaned, feeling worse and worse with each passing moment. His fingertips found his temples. "Of _course_ he's your best friend. That's _exactly_ what I needed from this."

"What? Was Rhys not allowed to see people when he wasn't with you then?" Fiona interjected, stern. She placed herself between the three men. "So he stuck his tongue down this guy's throat. Big deal." She smirked. "Now you've both got something in common, haven't you, Jack? Isn't that what friendship is all about? You can swap tips on kissing Rhys, maybe bet on who did it best?"

"Shut _up,_ Fi," Rhys hissed, dying. He was dead. This was hell, right? Jack grumbled something under his breath before sighing.

"I'm not saying _that_ , Hats. Rhysie could have all the fun he wanted. I ain't one to say who he could and couldn't fuck." Jack shrugged as Rhys felt his ears turn red. He couldn't meet Zane's eye. "But when you haven't seen your best pal in years and then find out he and your brand new husband almost...well...it's kind of a shock to the goddamn system."

Cautiously, Rhys lifted his eyes and brought them to Zane, who was watching him somewhat intently. They both caught one another off-guard and jumped slightly before smirking at their idiocy. Zane looked the same as he had three and a half years ago: handsome, dangerous and charming with that ridiculously pretty smile. He winked at Rhys and Rhys found himself winking back.

"I'm _sorry_ , would you like me to give you two some space?" Jack's snide remark had both men glaring at him.

"Do shut up, you precious asshole," Rhys snapped back, making Zane laugh. This somehow made Jack even more enraged. "The last time I saw Zane, I was...we were…" Rhys dropped his gaze and blushed. "Well. If my PA hadn't interrupted us while we were pressed up against my desk, perhaps I wouldn't be standing here married to _you_."

The group silenced around them, all for Zane who was cackling. 

"Oh, feller, ya got a good one here. I like him."

"Zane, I swear to god, speak one more word and I'll put a fucking bounty on your head," Jack snarled. 

"He'll get it outta his system eventually." Zane sighed, smiling at Rhys and ignoring Jack entirely. "Fancy a beer?"

"I'd _love_ that," Rhys replied, beaming. "Plus, what's he going to do?" Rhys tossed a glance over his shoulder as he and Zane turned towards the bar. "Divorce me?"

 

*

 

Jack's jaw dropped as Rhys and Zane made their way over to the bar.

"They're just trying to get a rise out of you," Fiona offered.

"Don't you have _eyes_ , Hats?" Jack slammed his hands down on the table and glowered at her. "Zane is as handsome as they come. He's a damn _mercenary_. Nothing is hotter than a man who lives life on the edge. I'm-"

"Do you _hear_ yourself?"

"What?" He glared at Fiona's sister, who had cast her eyes to the ceiling.

"Are you seriously suggesting that Rhys is _actually_ going to go galavanting off with Zane? After years of infatuation and after having _just_ married you? Good _grief_ , Jack."

"Well…no...but…"

Sasha groaned. "Then shut up! And go talk to your best friend, who you haven't seen in years, who just so happened to once upon a time kiss the boy you like. You've obviously both got very good taste."

Her honest tone, something Jack wasn't used to from anyone really, was refreshing. So he found himself nodding, straightening his tie and pushing his way through the throng of people before him to find Zane and Rhys. 

 

*

 

"I can't _believe_ you both behaved like that!" Rhys wheezed an hour later, creasing so much that he collapsed a little against the table. Jack and Zane laughed along with him, both wiping tears from their eyes. "Who the hell did you think you were?!" 

"Bloody fantastic, that's what," Zane replied, grinning and raising his beer like he was toasting some past memory. "Bloody...fucking... _fantastic._ " He took a sip from the bottle and smacked his lips. "Ya just wish ya had been as brave as us growin' up, _Rhysie._ "

"Oh shush." Rhys knew he was red, and noted the quirk of Jack's eyebrow. He turned to Zane. "And that's a Jack-only pet name."

Rhys' eyes slid to Jack, who offered him a genuine, small smile and Rhys couldn't help the lick of heat that wrapped itself around him. 

"Shame," Zane said. "I'd have come up with a sweeter one, had things turned out differently." Another wink at Rhys. "Three more shots of Promethea Vodka, waiter!" 

"You're teetering on a slaggin' thin line again, Flynt," Jack hissed. "Watch your mouth. That's _my_ husband; Handsome Jack's _husband_. And you know the kind of things I can pull out of the bag to keep your mouth shut."

"Aw, Jackie, always such a killjoy. Why don't ya lighten up? Can't pretend the past didn't exist. That can kill ya from the inside out. Gotta take it by the horns and accept it for what it is and how it made ya who ya are. It's what sets us up for the future." His hands splayed as he said the word. "Speaking of, I'm considerin' retirin' in the next couple o' years. I'm done with the merc life, I reckon. Wanna settle down." His eyes met Rhys'. "Find myself someone special to spend the rest of my days with."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Huh. I never thought I'd hear you of all people say that." The shots arrived and both Rhys and Zane tipped theirs back. Jack played with his for a while before doing the same. "Why now? You're not exactly an old fucker." 

"Easy for ya to say, ya goddamn manchild." He patted Jack on the cheek. "But really. I just need some feckin' _rest,_ boyo."

 

Jack chewed his lip. Would he too feel like that one day? Perhaps one day too soon? Would he become bored and done with living his life? He didn't really have a choice in the matter, seeing as he didn't have death to look forward to as a means of escaping the mortal coil. Would he and Rhys eventually...fall apart? Would Jack want to retire from life and in that...retire from Rhys? His concerned gaze found Rhys, who was busy continuing the conversation with Zane. His chin was propped on his hand and the gorgeous smile on his face reached his pretty brown eyes in such a way that had Jack's chest fluttering. He shook himself. 

 

He was a fool for even considering the notion that he and Rhys might not last at least a very long while.

 

"Hey, uh, Rhys?" Zane's tone suddenly shifted. He gestured down at Rhys' hand. "It may be the old man in me, but didn't ya have cybernetics the last time we uh.. _.met_?"

Rhys flexed his fingers. "Perks of being a Vault Hunter, _feller._ The Guardian in my Vault promised us many things if we destroyed the Key that kept them tethered to the deserts of Pandora. Things including this." Rhys used his hand to pick up another shot that had been delivered and knocked it back. He clicked his tongue. "Amongst others."

Jack was about to continue the conversation and tell Zane how the Vault had lead to his maskless face when he became aware of someone standing behind him.

"Jack, the shuttle bay door has stopped fucking shitting working." Meg's angry voice filtered through Jack's boozy thoughts and he turned his head to find her standing behind him holding an ECHO. "Shall I send our engineers down there to fix it?"

" _Meggggggy_ ," Jack cooed happily, reaching to pat her hand. "Why are you working during the time you should be drinking?"

"I've had enough alcohol to sink a ship, pal," she replied, fighting off a smile and failing. "But I can retain enough clarity to notice an urgent message when it pings on my ECHO." The device was waggled under Jack's nose. "But yeah. People are stuck on the landing pad. They can't get into the party. Do you want me to send people to attend to it?"

"Meg, sweet _Meg_ , everyone I _need_ is right here. Who gives a fuck about the jackasses who turned up late?" He leaned in, catching the whiff of booze on her breath. "Sucks to be them, I guess."

She giggled at that and tucked her ECHO into her bag. She then peered around him to speak to Rhys, but stopped mid-sentence and turned a horrific shade of pink when she spied Zane. 

" _...Oh, Zane,_ nice to _...see you."_

Jack's eyes almost rolled out of his skull.

"Do you have to fucking put your hands all over _everyone_ I goddamn love?!" he growled, so enraged that he grabbed Zane by the collar and shook him furiously. "My PA?! For real?!"

Zane threw his hands up as Rhys very obviously fought to stifle his laughter. Meg squeaked.

"Can ya blame me, feller?" He peered around Jack to salute Meg. "Hey, darlin'. Lookin' even more of a beor than the last time I saw ya, somehow. Seems impossible but it's true."

Meg blushed again and chewed her lip, gazing up at him through her lashes. 

"What-" Jack began, mad.

"Oh Jack, _please_ grow up," Meg barked, shoving past him. "Zane Flynt, it's always a pleasure." She thrust her hand into his and shook it. "I'm glad to see you didn't get blown up on Fieria."

"Or Vernas, or Knux," he added, grinning widely and shooting finger guns. "Told ya I'd make it back. Ya owe me four hundred if my memory serves me correct." 

Jack and Rhys watched in awe as the two fell into a comfortable rapport, jibing and cracking jokes at one another. 

"You kept this quiet," Jack commented to Meg through the side of his mouth, folding his arms. Meg merely shrugged, dishing out her money into Zane's open palm. "Does Penny know about your previous sexcapades?" he pressed, knowing he was being a prick but saying it anyway because he was drunk and riled and still reeling from the shock of knowing that both Rhys _and_ Meg had been involved with Zane somehow. 

 

Zane Flynt. What a fucking dickhead.

 

Realistically, though, when it _came_ to Zane, he knew he shouldn't be at all surprised. 

 

Meg suddenly spun on her heel and matched his stance, arms crossed. 

"My god, you really need someone to bring you down a peg or two." She tilted her head back to look at Rhys. "Make sure to put him in his place tonight, won't you? Lord knows he deserves it, in the very, _very_ least."

Jack's eyebrows shot through the roof at the implication of Meg's words. He went to shut Meg down and state that he would _never_ , god, _never_ be… never be "put in his place" in the bedroom, when Meg pushed him aside and beamed.

"Penny!" 

The nervous, lucky-to-be-alive Siren slunk past Jack and into Meg's open arms, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek. 

"Penny, this is Zane."

Penny considered the Irishman. " _The_ Zane? The one who…?" Penny performed a very crude gesture and Jack swore loudly, done with everyone and everything in that current moment. He barely noticed Rhys wrap his arms around his waist, but was grounded as soon as Rhys' lips found Jack's ear. Everyone else chatted away and laughed with one another, not paying the two grooms any mind. 

"You pulled a face," Rhys purred, licking into the shell of Jack's ear. 

"Huh?" Jack grunted back, barely listening. 

"You pulled a face at Meg's suggestion earlier."

"Heh, that's because never in a million _years_ are you gonna stick it in my-"

"I'm your _husband_ ," Rhys hissed, grinning as he kissed Jack's cheek. Where no one could see, he trailed his fingers across the tightening fabric of Jack's crotch, causing Jack to arch back into his touch. Rhys continued, so low and seductive that Jack's knees went weak. "And I have every notion that - oh _kitten_ \- tonight?" He licked his way up Jack's neck before he mouthed his ear. "I'm going to fuck your goddamn _brains_ out." 

"Get a room," Zane groaned, making everyone spin around to look at them and begin to chuckle. Rhys giggled as Jack tried desperately to gain some semblance of propriety after _that_ little comment.

"Later, later," Rhys explained casually, waving Zane off with a smirk. "So, how's about-"

"Um? Can I...have everyone's attention please?"

The familiar voice echoed through the hall, undoubtedly Vaughn, and the screens around them lit up with his nervously smiling face. He certainly _looked_ more sober than he had done earlier in the night. He cleared his throat  "I'd like to apologise for my lack of a best man's speech earlier but...I'd like to make up for that now."

 

*

 

Rhys' eyes shone with tears of pride, happiness and laughter as Vaughn delivered what everyone exclaimed as the best best-man's speech they'd ever heard. Vaughn had done Rhys and Jack so much justice. He'd made people laugh, tear up and cheer throughout. Granted, the attendees were mostly employees who wouldn't dare not cheer, whoop and applaud the influx of compliments and niceties delivered to their newlywed CEOs, but it was still heartwarming and sweet in Rhys' fuzzy, inebriated head. 

"I'm pleased now that I fed him those rakk bombs earlier," Fiona commented, sipping her cocktail. "He needed just that little bit more time to prepare and _I_ gave that to him."

"No," Vaughn corrected, appearing through the crowd. "You're just an asshole."

Fiona shot him a glare as everyone else clapped him on the back. 

"Great speech, Vaughn!" praised Meg, Penny nodding alongside her. 

"It was super cute!" Angel announced.

It was then that Vaughn and Rhys made eye contact and they just collapsed into one another's arms, sobbing earnestly. 

"I love you, bro!" 

"I love you too, bro! So much! My best bro! My best man bro!!!!"

"Is that...normal?"  Rhys heard Zane ask curiously, and from the corner of his eye saw him gesturing at the weeping pair. Sasha nodded. 

"For them? Yeah. For everyone else? Absolutely not."

" _Just because we have a special bond_ ," Rhys replied bitterly. He kept his arms around Vaughn and huffed. "You're all just _jealous_."

"We all have special bonds," Fiona sighed. Rhys didn't miss the look between Zane and Meg. "But we don't behave like morons because of them."

"Excuse me, it's my _wedding_ day and I won't be spoken to by the likes of bandits such as _you_ ." Fiona frowned and Vaughn gasped dramatically beside him, placing a hand over his heart and mouth. Rhys quickly turned to him. "Obviously discounting _you_ , bro." He yanked the smaller man into another tight embrace and kissed him on the top of his head. "You're the greatest bandit king who's ever lived."

" _Oh_ ," Vaughn mustered, blushing hard. 

"Grooms to the dance floor for their first dance!" came an announcement across the tannoy system, the music lulling slightly. Everyone in the crowd looked about for them as Rhys and Jack locked eyes. When they met, Rhys filled with a perfect warmth and his heart fluttered madly in his chest, just as it always had for Jack since that first day, that day he'd crowded him against that wall in the Hyperion conference room and he'd smelled of coffee and cologne and _...Jack_.

 

"Hey, kitten," Jack murmured, suddenly and wonderfully right in front of him. He took Rhys' face in his hand and ran a thumb down his cheek. Jack's face was soft and the small smile on his face made his shining eyes crinkle at the corners. "Ready to go make a damn cock of ourselves in front of our friends, family and employees?"

Rhys bit his lip and offered Jack a small but sure nod, allowing him to take him by the hand and guide him through the crowd towards the dance floor. Jack's thumb found the pulse thrumming in his wrist. Rhys decided then and there that he'd never take his heart and that it would always be his weakness. With Jack by his side, though, he supposed he never needed to worry about that again. 

"Just like we practised, okay?" Jack whispered as he led Rhys out in front of everyone. Rhys chewed his lip harder and faced his husband, wrapping his arms around his neck as the music began and people applauded. They moved effortlessly around the space, gazing at one another as they did so, barely hearing the music around them.

"I've never seen you look more beautiful," Jack muttered when his lips found Rhys' ear. "A real treat for the eyes, pumpkin. A treat that's all mine to devour."

"As long as you behave yourself, Handsome."

"Oh, can't promise I won't give you grief every day for a couple hundred years at least. That's statutory husband behaviour."

"Oh really?" 

"Mmm."

Rhys kissed his cheek and buried his face in Jack's neck. 

"I've been thinking about our future," he began, swallowing hard. "Wondering if we plan to be CEOs forever."

Jack shrugged and pulled Rhys back to look at him. He brushed the hair back off of Rhys' forehead, watching his hand as it went. "We do whatever we damn well _want,_ baby _._ We owe this universe nothing but we owe ourselves _everything._ You wanna up and leave and go explore the six galaxies? We do it. No question. You wanna take Atlas-Hyperion supersonic? We do it. No _goddamn_ question. But whatever it is we choose to do?" Jack kissed him. "We do it together. Yeah?"

Rhys was getting stupidly emotional again and he couldn't help but laugh at his own soppiness. 

"Yeah, Handsome. _Together_."

 

Soon, other couples migrated to the dance floor. When the music ramped up, the place was packed and Rhys and Jack could hardly move for the bodies. 

"Wahey! Let's fuckin' _do_ this!" Zane roared as he suddenly appeared when the bass dropped. He was holding a tray of shots above people's heads and was being tailed by Fiona, Sasha and Vaughn. They swiftly made a small circle, the tray of shots held in the middle, and took one each. Penny and Meg arrived and snatched a couple for themselves. Even Angel and Ava managed to worm their way into grabbing one each, though Jack did cast them a warning look. 

"To the future!" he called out nonetheless, thrusting his shot up high. 

"To the future!" they all chorused back.

As everyone raised their shots, downed them and cheered, he watched Rhys, and Rhys watched him, and life was - if anything, in that moment - absolutely _,_ fantastically _perfect_. 

 

Rhys hoped they could hold onto that for at least most of their forever. 

 

*

 

All breath evacuated Jack's lungs as he was slammed against the wall of the elevator. Rhys had him by the lapels, using them to pull him forward to kiss him. The noise Jack made, as raunchy as he could muster, had its desired effect and made Rhys whine and suddenly bring his hands up into Jack's hair. Jack knew Rhys could never handle it when he moaned like that, and he also knew that as long as he kept weakening Rhys then the damned man wouldn't win in his very obvious attempt at domination. What Jack _hadn't_ been expecting was Rhys grabbing him by the wrists and shoving them above his head, pinning him into place with a weirdly insane bout of strength.

"Listen here, _Jack_ ." Rhys licked a wet line up the side of his cheek and settled his mouth against his temple. "You're _mine_ now. You made that commitment today. And you're going to let me stake my claim over you _._ "

Jack cast his eyes to the roof of the elevator and let out a shuddering breath as one of Rhys' hands slithered its way into the front of his suit pants, gripping his desperate length, rubbing the bead of leaked precum over its head with his thumb. He shivered and bit down hard on his lower lip when Rhys' other hand slid down the back of his pants, taking hold of his ass so tightly that it hurt. 

"You think that you're going to live a millennium with me and get away with being the top for that entire period of time?" Rhys snarled, yanking his hand back from Jack's dick and fisting it around his collar. "I always knew you were a fool, Jack. But this just proves the extent of it." 

 

Just then, the elevator doors slid open and Rhys pulled Jack, by the tie, into their living room. There, he shoved Jack onto the couch with such force that the couch nearly fell backwards and the impact of it nearly winded him.

"What the hell kinda steroids you been throwing back, Rhysie?" Jack breathed in bewilderment, eyes wide. Rhys smirked, admiring Jack who must have looked like a dishevelled, sprawled, panting mess before him. 

"You look so perfect," he mused, licking his lips. "So goddamn perfect, Jack." Rhys lowered his eyebrows and tilted his head back slightly. "Touch yourself."

"What-"

Suddenly, Rhys was in his face, hand around his throat. Jack choked in surprise.

"I _said_ -" His lips were at Jack's ear. " _-touch yourself_."

 

*

 

Smug, Rhys stood back and watched as Jack unzipped his pants. The man kept eye contact as he did so, running his tongue along his top lip before clamping down on the bottom lip with his teeth. Rhys weakened then because by _god_ , did Jack look hot. The man obviously knew it too because he moaned as he pulled out his cock and, by _god_ , in a moment of weakness Rhys just wanted to slide down onto it; the thick heat he knew it could give him was almost too much to turn down. 

"You like what you see?" Jack's words drew Rhys from his reverie and the smarmy look on Jack's face brought his focus back to what he knew he _really_ wanted. 

"You know I do. But I told you to touch yourself and you're not getting _anything_ from me until you do as I say."

" _Watch_ yourself, kitten. You'll give yourself a headache, what with all this bitchin'." 

Jack's following laugh was just about enough for Rhys, who was once again upon him and yanking down his pants to his ankles. On his knees, between Jack's thighs, he ran his hands up to Jack's shirt.

"I like this shirt," he muttered, feeling the feather-soft fabric against his fingers. He laced them between the buttons and pulled, ripping the shirt fully open and making Jack jump at the suddenness of his action. 

"I thought you liked the shirt?!"

"I like this better." Rhys leant up and captured Jack's mouth with his own, dragging his nails through his husband's chest hair. "Now do what I _said_ and _touch yourself,_ goddamnit _."_ And, for once, Jack did as he was told. He worked his cock as Rhys held his face in his palms, kissing him deeply. It was sloppy and needy and everything Rhys wanted. Their teeth clashed on more than one occasion and when he caught Jack's lip between his teeth and drew out a whine from the man, he grinned. _Yes_. This was definitely what he wanted. As he kissed him once more, he made quick work of removing Jack's shoes and the rest of his clothes. Jack let him drag off his ruined shirt and suit jacket, and - when Rhys had him fully naked - he pushed off of Jack and stood, admiring him once again. Jack's chest rose and fell, harsh and fast, and his hair was completely out of place. It fell across his forehead, almost reaching his eyes which shone in the Elpis moonlight that painted the room. 

 

Rhys softened then because good god, Jack would never quite understand how pretty he truly was. Rhys was lost in the way Jack's hips reached out for him and how his eyes never left Rhys' own as he continued to thrust up into his own hand. His Adam's apple bobbed and his mouth fell open and Rhys dropped his clothes to the floor, unable to keep away from Jack any longer. He offered out his hand.

"Come with me, love."

Jack took it and stood, silently following Rhys into the bedroom. Rhys led him to their bed and then climbed over him, kissing his lips and then his neck and then his chest. The way Jack arched up against him with every kiss he left on his journey downwards sent shockwaves through Rhys' body. A lightning hot fire was wrestling in his gut when he reached Jack's solid length and he pushed every ounce of that fire into the way he sucked it into his mouth. 

"Fuck _me_ ," Jack swore, making Rhys chuckle.

"You can count on that," he replied and - without giving Jack an inch to talk back - he wrapped his hand around his cock and drank it back down. Jack cursed to the heavens again and Rhys didn't let up even as Jack furiously writhed beneath him. He was a very dramatic lover, the fact of which had never really surprised Rhys at all. Rhys eventually rested his head against Jack's thigh and licked his fingers until they were dripping, slowly drifting them towards Jack's hole as he took him into his mouth again. 

"Ngh, shit, Rhys, god-" Jack shuffled away slightly, so Rhys stopped.

"If you don't want this, I won't force you." Jack stared down at him, eyes wide. There was a hint of fear in them that both satiated Rhys and drove him crazy. He knew he could rid Jack of whatever fears he had because he knew how _good_ he could make the man feel. "But...if you let me..." He climbed back over Jack and kissed him. He breathed his next, carefully-chosen words against Jack's lips. "...I'll have you screaming my name so loud that the furthest reaches of the galaxy will be able to hear you."

A trembling mess of a man, Jack watched him but didn't disallow Rhys sinking one finger into him. He swore and hissed and threw his head back against the pillows, but he _let_ him. Rhys couldn't quite believe his luck, so with a giddy head and an excitable yet small smile, he began a slow, back-and-forth motion to ease Jack into it. 

 

It was drier than Rhys wanted it to be, so for Jack's sake he carefully removed his digit and sat up.

"Pass me the lube, baby."

Jack's hand blindly searched their bedside cabinet and soon the small near-empty bottle was tossed in his direction. Rhys picked it up and poured a small amount onto his fingers and went back to his cautious ministrations. Jack sucked in a breath but didn't react with such disdain this time. The new ease of it was helpful and Rhys knew it couldn't be hurting too much anymore when Jack began pushing down towards his hand. Rhys took this opportunity to add a second finger and began to open his husband up, slowly but surely. 

"Please, Rhys, that's...a lot," Jack grunted, back to his previous apprehension. 

"Shhh," Rhys soothed. "Shhh, just, let me just…" 

He turned his hand then, two fingers clamped together and pointing towards the sky. He curled them upwards, cursing inwardly when Jack gave him no reaction other than a short, nervous laugh. Shifting himself, Rhys tried again. This time, Jack's eyes flew open and his hands came down to grip the sheets like vices. His ass jolted almost away from Rhys but then it was back again.

"Oh my _god_."

"That's it, Jack." Rhys tried again, and each time he curled his fingers Jack became more and more of a blubbing, aroused, sensitive wreck. Rhys was having trouble keeping himself in check because of it; his own cock was dripping and pleading for release. He wanted to wrap his hand around it but he knew he needed to wait and give everything to Jack that he could. 

"Rhys! Oh, fuck, oh _kitten_ , holy _hell_ -"

 

As soon as Rhys had awkwardly applied lube to himself with his opposite hand, he clambered up and positioned himself over Jack, their noses brushing. 

"I love you, and this will hurt at first, but I _promise_ it gets much better. Do you trust me?"

"Gnh, yeah, I trust you. Now, are you gonna fuckin' get on with it?"

Rhys couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. Jack looked so desperate for him, despite all of his prior dismissal of being a bottom, and in Rhys' opinion, it well-suited him to be the one begging for once. Jack rolled his eyes back and shut as Rhys lined himself up. It had been a long time since he'd done this, but he was pretty sure he knew _exactly_ what would make Jack come to pieces in his hands. 

 

*

 

Jack clenched his teeth. It felt like he was being torn apart and by the grace of whatever higher power may have been listening, he prayed it would soon feel better. This was their wedding night, for god's sake. If it didn't go well…

 

Well, no one wanted their wedding night to be crap. 

 

So, sucking up all his courage and pride, Jack cracked open an eye and watched as Rhys sank completely into him. It was a weird sensation. Like he needed to...fuck, like he needed to take a damn _shit_ . He was _not_ feeling this. He just wanted Rhys to-

 

Oh.

 

 _Oh,_ okay.

 

*

 

As Rhys pulled out, Jack whimpered _delectably_ and his hands clamped down on Rhys' shoulders, nails digging in hard. Rhys angled himself just right and slid in again, knowing he was most definitely hitting Jack in that perfect little spot. Cursing, Jack cried out as Rhys slammed into him, this time holding back less because the way Jack's teeth were sinking into his lip? The way his eyes scrunched shut and his hands were all over Rhys? 

 

Yeah.

 

Handsome Jack _liked_ being a bottom.

 

And it would be rude of Rhys not to make him _love_ being one. So he sat back, grabbing Jack by the ankles to throw his legs over his shoulders. He took no time in sliding back in, hitting that sweet spot that had Jack crying out his name over and over as he hit it again and again and _again_.

" _R-rhys-_!" Jack wailed. It was magnificent. Handsome Jack was like putty in his hands. He didn't seem to know what to do with his hands because they were everywhere: Rhys' face, his arms, his hips. Rhys ground down into him, eventually falling to the side and placing himself behind Jack, holding one of the man's legs in the air and fucking into him with all his might. 

 

Rhys moaned as the feeling of his oncoming orgasm overwhelmed him, so he reached over took Jack's pleading length in his hand, pumping it in time with his thrusts.

"Oh! Fuck! _Rhys_ !! F-f- _fuck_!"

Jack came all over his stomach and the sheets and the clenching around Rhys was all too much. He too finished, blowing his load inside of Jack, all breath escaping him as he did so. 

"Holy _shit,_ Rhys."

Rhys could barely string thoughts together, let alone words, so instead pulled out and collapsed beside his husband, both men staring at the ceiling and trying their best to breath steady once again. 

"Wow," Jack muttered eventually, patting Rhys' thigh. "Wow wow wow. Shit, Rhysie. That was...um…"

"A pleasure?" 

Jack chuckled, letting out a sigh. "A pleasure. Ha. Yeah, baby. That's the least you could call it." 

Stars gleamed across Rhys' vision. "Oh yeah? So you'd do it again?"

Jack smirked, eyes closed. He breathed in through his nose. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, kiddo. One step at a time."

At this, Rhys stretched. He grinned and turned on his side to run a finger up Jack's stomach. He delighted in how it made him quiver. 

"We've got an eternity ahead of us, Jack. I think I can manage one step at a time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this one. I hope you loved reading it as much as I loved writing it. xxxxxxxxxx


End file.
